Following the weekend’s 4-0 away dismantling of Real Madrid, Barcelona fans and media have made their delight clear around the gradual recovery of Frenkie De Jong. The midfielder had been sidelined for many months with an ankle injury, but impressed against Real Madrid with a solid performance from the bench.
Spanish outlet Relevo couldn’t stop themselves from singing De Jong’s praises in their analysis of the huge clash. The Dutchman was introduced after a tetchy first half and made an instant impact to dictate the midfield. The sports website wrote:
“Hansi Flick brought on Frenkie De Jong and the team immediately took control. Things suddenly started to go well for Barça and they started to smell blood.
“De Jong was Barça’s accordion, the backbone of the team. He made a significant difference in the team’s build-up. While Real Madrid lost their heads and legs, Barça maintained the same high tempo.”
Catalan SPORT also saw De Jong play a crucial role in the Clasico:
“Flick let him play for one half and Frenkie responded by giving Barcelona control and courage. The German has been keeping a close eye on De Jong from the start. He was even one of the first players he spoke to when he arrived here. And it’s not easy to fight your way back into a well-oiled machine. Players like Marc Casadó, Fermín López and Pedri have reached an exceptional level in recent weeks.
“But Flick trusts De Jong blindly. Now it’s up to the ex-Ajax player to grab the leading role again. He started doing that in El Clásico. He did very well and his substitution coincided with the final result of 0-4.”
Further admiration came from L’Esportiu, as they labelled the midfield maestro “an important part of this Barcelona”, while Mundo Deportivo found De Jong to have performed “far above all expectations”.
“The introduction of De Jong gave more control than in the first half. Another player who can contribute to this Barcelona.”
