La Liga
Why Frenkie De Jong Can Take Barça to New Levels
On the 23rd of January 2019, FC Barcelona delivered a tantalizing piece of news to the fans and to the whole footballing world. Barça finally announced the signing of Dutch starlet Frenkie De Jong from Ajax. Both the clubs reached an agreement for the player to join the Blaugrana outfit in the summer. He will be at Barcelona from the 1st of July 2019. Barça will pay 75 million euros plus 11 million in variables for the transfer. De Jong will sign a 5-year contract extending till the 2023/24 season.
The youngster was heavily linked with the club prior to the transfer. Also linked was his Ajax teammate Matthijs De Ligt. Amid much speculation the Barcelona representatives personally flew to Amsterdam to close the signing of De Jong. The entourage also included CEO Oscar Grau and President Josep Bartomeu.
At just 21 years, Frenkie De Jong is already one of football’s hottest young prospects. His time at Barcelona should be nothing short of electric. Everyone has their eyes peeled and the hype is already massive. Let us take a look at some elements that make De Jong the player he is and what attributes can help him thrive in the Blue and Claret stripe.
Terrific Passing Ability
De Jong’s passing is one of his key abilities. It is a trait that in no small part garnered the attention of top teams like Barça, PSG and Manchester City. He may not have the most staggering numbers when it comes to goals and assists but he is very capable of sparking an attack out of nothing with a scything through ball. Frenkie De Jong is also very clever when switching the flanks and finding the perfect pass to pick out a teammate in half spaces. His passing prowess is evidenced by his staggering 92% pass success rate in the Eredivisie this season (1239 passes completed in 1378 minutes played).
Clever Hold-Up and Ball Shielding
De Jong is not only an accomplished passer but also a very clever player when it comes to slowing the game down. For a player as young as him, it is astonishing how well he holds the ball up and then releases it perfectly to the arriving support either through the middle or out wide. He is also very efficient under physical pressure. He uses his 5’10 frame to perfectly hold off aggressive challenges and displays impressive strength to retain the ball.
Directness in Attack and Dribbling
Though he is best suited to a defensive midfield role, De Jong is more than capable of scything dribbles through the middle to carry the ball forward. He is swift with the ball and takes short, crisp touches to keep the ball close to his feet. He also has good close control which enables him to evade the opposition press. For a defensive mid, he has an impressive dribble success rate of 74% this season.
Tenacious in Defense
Frenkie is truly sensational at reading the game and breaking up attacks when defending. He can intercept passes in a flash. Frenkie is highly technical even when tackling but he does not hesitate to commit the odd tactical foul. He is also good in 1v1 situations and can dispossess opposition with relative ease.
Highly Versatile
It is said that in the Barça system, each player no matter what position they play in must be comfortable on the ball and prepared to receive it at any moment.
De Jong is already well-acquainted with retaining fruitful and productive possession. That is why his immense versatility can be a huge tactical advantage. He can play as a CDM, CM and even as a CB! Should a game require him to be pushed up or drop further back it won’t cause any issues. His output will still be fruitful. This also works well for squad depth if he ever needs to deputize for any other player in those positions.
Highly Matured and Disciplined
Despite his tender age of 21, De Jong almost always seems to know exactly what to do with the ball. He knows the right time to do the right thing more often than not. When we revisit his tenacity in defense, he has just the right mix of calmness and aggression. He has a very impressive disciplinary record. In the entirety of last season he picked up just 2 bookings. He has not been cautioned at all this season. And this is despite being a regular starter and dropping great performances down the spine of the Ajax midfield.
These are only some of the numerous big weapons Frenkie De Jong has in his arsenal. It will be terrific to watch how he gets on at Barça. With his current skill-set and attitude, the Dutch wonderkid is bound to succeed if he keeps this up. It would only continue a rich love story of FC Barcelona and Dutch players.
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