Barcelona have a lot of injury set-backs this season. Xavi has to rely on a lot of young academy players in the absence of first-team players. Some of these players are gaining full-fitness and one of them returned in late November. 26-year-old Dutchman Frenkie de Jong missed two months of action and gave a lot of headache to the Spanish manager. De Jong is a hard-worker and contributes to both ends of the field.
The player joined Barcelona in 2019 and attracted the attention of many clubs when the club was facing financial issues. He is a gem in the midfield and that is why Barcelona brought him to the club. De Jong’s return to action adds a different dynamic to the midfield and here are a few stats that show what this Dutchman adds to the key element of Barcelona’s play.
Box-to-box runner
Frenkie de Jong is a proper box-to-box midfielder who contributes a lot to the defence of the team. His defensive territory shows how the player has contested a lot of defensive actions at both ends of the field. In the current season, De Jong has won 62% of his defensive duels, 54% of his aerial duels and 54% of his loose ball duels. He has given up a few fouls but mostly to stop the opposition from creating a counter-attack.
Once the ball gets recovered in the defensive half, De Jong carries the ball right into the attacking half with his progressive runs. He averages around four progressive runs per 90 minutes and the dribbles success rate is 72%. This shows the control of De Jong on the ball and why he is one of the top rated midfielder in the league.
Another element in De Jong’s defensive game is in his ability to recover the ball in dangerous attacking areas. The player makes around four recoveries in the attacking half per 90 minutes. In the current season, he has made 15 recoveries in the final third. This shows how the Dutchman can read the plays of the opposition and stops them from hitting a counterattack.
De Jong’s vision
Frenkie de Jong’s tireless running has never affected his vision while playing a pass. He is always present to receive the ball and averages 86.6 passes per 90 minutes with a 94.2% accuracy rate. Most of the progressive passes are looking for runner on the left or players in the middle. The Dutchman also looks to find a teammate inside the penalty box. He attempts nearly 3.5 passes to the penalty box and has a decent accuracy rate of 60%.
The return of De Jong has a lot of strength to Barcelona’s midfield. He carries the ball and tracks runners. This has also allowed the defence to get a bit of stability. Xavi will hope that the 26-year-old remains fit and lead his side to back-to-back LaLiga glory.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine