MADRID – Better late than never, it is usually said when it is the least expected day and when the disappointment is generalized, that player who was so longed for ends up catapulting himself, appearing in a day and two and three. To show that yes, that, beyond the price, its proven quality is already visible on the ground and its significance is as expected. Griezmann? No, the French are still waiting. The protagonist of such a happy takeoff is Frenkie de Jong. The happiest face of Barcelona.
La Vallecas scored the fourth goal since the start of 2021 and showed, again, the best version. The total player who fell in love with Ajax and who quietly entered the Barça locker room in the summer of 2020. They expected so much from him that his hesitant beginnings were an obvious frustration. Installed as an interior of Valverde, very close to the band, De Jong’s first season at Barça was more discreet than brilliant.
Without making a difference under Valverde’s orders, being in many games almost invisible, his origin, youth and desire made the fans have much more patience with him than the other footballers signed as the stars enjoyed.
The Dutchman was expected to lead attacking football and not with Setien He took this step forward, being part of the final collapse and facing his second season as a Barça player as a revalidation.
FROM IMMEDIATE TO CONFIRMATION
Koeman came to the bench and, surprisingly, changed the whole drawing, placed it next to Busquets in the double pivot and things barely improved for him. Neither up nor down, remaining in no man’s land, the first two months were the continuation of the nightmare … Until everything changed.
And De Jong catapulted heavenly. “He has a lot of quality build from the back, but he had to offer more to the team offensively. We talked about that, reaching the opposite zone, finishing and scoring more goals,” he said on Wednesday at Vallecas Ronald Koeman, happy for the recovered figure of his compatriot and aware that his change of system, bringing him back to the inner position with freedom, was probably the best sports decision of the coach.
De Jong in Ajax mode is now proclaimed in Barcelona. “I’m happy, but I can play better” smiled the player after scoring the fourth goal at the beginning of the year, which he accompanies with two decisive passes and a transcendence in the game of the team that repositioned him in the expected number.
“We know his quality in this position and it is more complete because, despite the fact that he helped Busquets in the back construction, his arrival in the rival area helps us a lot”, the technician solved, making that improvement, exploiting the best His version in this one recovered 4-3-3, freeing him from defensive tasks and giving him the opportunity both to connect more with the attackers and to reach the rival area in the second row.
Barça starts to stumble. He’s probably suffering more than he should, but he’s smiling at his number 21. De Jong has taken the plunge and is about to show that he was a key signing for the club’s future.
Meanwhile, Griezmann is still waiting.