One of the biggest surprises in Hansi Flick’s starting lineup last night against Mallorca was the absence of Frenkie de Jong, especially given that Pedri was unavailable on the night too.It soon cam...
One of the biggest surprises in Hansi Flick’s starting lineup last night against Mallorca was the absence of Frenkie de Jong, especially given that Pedri was unavailable on the night too.
It soon came to light that the player was not out through rotation but with discomfort – something Hansi Flick also explained ahead of kickoff at the Spotify Camp Nou.
“Frenkie de Jong is not at 100%, and that’s why he’s on the bench and isn’t playing today,”he said.
Returning soon
As confirmed by Diario AS in a recent update, De Jong did not feature against Mallorca owing to minor discomfort in the pubis which he has been nursing for a few days. As a result, the manager preferred to rest him and prevent any aggravation.
In principle, however, there should be no trouble for him to face Atletico Madrid midweek and the player will likely be available to even start on the night. Needless to say, this comes as a massive boost to Flick’s plans.
De Jong stayed on the bench against Mallorca. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
There is a reasonable gap between Barcelona’s win over Mallorca and the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, and the window of over 72 hours hands the player enough time to recover and be completely fit for the game against Diego Simeone’s side.
Pedri will be unavailable for the first leg, and De Jong will thus have a massive responsibility to shoulder midweek. He will likely start alongside Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo in midfield, and the trio has shown good synergy in recent weeks.
So far this season, the Dutchman has made 14 starts and 17 appearances for Barcelona in La Liga and has four assists to his name. He averages 95% pass completion and over 75 touches per game in the competition.
Category: General Sports
