30/07/2023
Act. a las 09:49
CEST
Erik ten Hag insisted ad nauseam last summer to take De Jong to Manchester United. It was not a free demand, but argued in everything he saw him do at Ajax, where Frenkie became a natural leader from the position of double pivot. There, accompanied by Leave beautifulhe became a total footballer who had the freedom to go down, go up, command, organize, start each play… The Champions League round of 16 tie against Real Madrid in 2019 was, especially in the second leg (1-4) his great work.
Something similar happened yesterday at the AT&T in Arlington, where Xavi built a team around De Jong, who felt, almost for the first time since he was at Barça, with total freedom to play his football, which made him worthy of wearing the Barca shirt. Along with Busquets, his role was another, more secondary, less of a protagonist, and that detracted from his potential. Now, instead, as he had in Amsterdam with Schöne, he has someone next to him who cares little about being in the photo, but whose work is priceless: Oriol Romeu.
The best squire possible
Against Real Madrid, although the conclusions at this point tend to be hasty, they formed a couple that gave the feeling of having played together all their lives. And they just met in the United States. The first half of both was an extraordinary coordination exercise because, tactically, both understood what the game was asking for at all times.
Gundogan and Pedri also understood the flow of football that emerged from De Jong’s boots and accompanied him on his adventure. Obviously, many mechanisms still need to be adjusted, but the Dutchman’s display against Real Madrid allows us to be very optimistic about the ascendancy that Frenkie will take in the team this season. The midfielder, with the captain’s armband, feels stronger, more of a leader and more important. And Barça, thanks to this, comes out winning.
2023-07-30 06:54:12
#Jong #Ajax
