Frenkie de Jong admits Barcelona is no longer the best club in the world today. According to De Jong, this season Barca has also failed.
The top Dutch midfielder was signed by Barca from Ajax in the summer of 2019. It is undeniable that De Jong joined at a time when the Blaugrana’s performance was no longer as great as a decade ago.
The 24-year-old footballer has made 119 appearances for Barca, contributing 11 goals and 14 assists. However, De Jong’s achievements with Barcelona have only won the Copa del Rey once in 2020/2021.
The departure of Lionel Messi last summer made Barcelona arguably at its lowest point. El Barca struggling to compete in LaLiga after falling far behind Real Madrid at the top of the table. In addition, Barca were expelled by Athletic Bilbao in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey after losing 2-3 in extra time, and had been eliminated in the Champions League group stage so they had to be ‘downcast’ to the Europa League.
“I was surprised [dengan kesulitan yang dialami Barcelona sekarang], but I believe Barcelona is a great club. It’s not the best for now, but it’s still the most beautiful club in the world,” De Jong told US.
“Barca is still the same club, but a lot of things have changed. I think there have been four managers since my arrival, maybe three… or five. A club president has come in, a lot of players have left. So yes, a lot has changed.”
“Yes, it’s been a failed season. We’re out of the Champions League, we’re out of the Copa del Rey, and are 14 points behind Real Madrid,” he said.
After the international break, Frenkie de Jong et al were immediately awaited for a tough challenge. Barcelona must host Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League continued on 6 February.
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