Although there were not a lot of new arrivals in the FC Barcelona squad over the last summer transfer window, Hansi Flick’s team is still somewhat different from Xavi Hernandez’s as the role of some important players has changed considerably.
The most prominent such case is that of the midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who had to start this season with an injury from the last season and was able to make his first appearance of the season only in October.
Even after his return to the pitch, the Dutchman was lacking in confidence and spirit, and it was quite visible that he was playing with the fear of suffering a relapse following his recovery from a highly traumatic injury.
However, as Mundo Deportivo has noted, things are now changing, as Frenkie is gaining more confidence in his ankle, and this increased confidence is also showing itself on the pitch.
Although he is still not a starter, with Pedri and Marc Casado being ahead of him in selection, he has been putting in improved performances off the bench.
In the La Liga match against Getafe, he replaced Casado at half-time, and against Benfica, Flick brought him on at the hour mark, when his team was still trailing on the scoreboard.
In that game, the German tactician asked Frenkie to step more into the final third to break the defense with his passing, thus sharing the burden with other creative players like Pedri and Raphinha.
His performance in that game was quite encouraging, but now, he needs to improve even further. He is not only one of the highest-paid players in the squad, but there is also no doubt about his quality and it is clear that he can contribute a lot going forward and help Barcelona in the final and decisive half of the season.
