While there is no doubt over Xavi’s prowess as a midfielder, even he faced the strongest of concerns while making his way up at Barcelona. The Spaniard came close to leaving for Real Madrid in 1999, as confirmed by his father Joaquim having been benched by then Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal for a game. With Xavi currently donning a managerial role at the prestigious Spanish club, he will certainly experience a sense of nostalgia when reviewing the journey of Frenkie de Jong, who has struggled since his big-money move from Ajax in 2019.
Frenkie was hailed as one of the best midfielders in the world. He seemed like the perfect addition to an elite club like FC Barcelona who play possession-based football. Many former players and experts backed Frenkie to reach great heights with the Blaugranas. However, as it stands in February 2022, things haven’t worked out for both parties as one would’ve expected. Frenkie has not exactly been a failure, but he has rarely shown flashes of brilliance. With quality talent emerging on an almost daily basis in world football, there have been calls to cut losses on the midfielder.
Frenkie’s inability to find his feet at Barcelona
Xavi is definitely no stranger to the fact that Frenkie has struggled, having been a top midfielder at Barcelona himself. However, the latter is a star prospect in the correct system as witnessed during Ajax’s historic run in the 2018-19 edition of the Champions League. Ajax knocked out the ‘big boys’ of Europe in Real Madrid and Juventus, with Frenkie emerging as the midfield general in a double pivot when deployed in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The midfielder’s role was to guide the ball out of defence, with his technical ability, intelligence and press resistance on show during those matches. The picture of him dribbling past Vinicius Jr and then Ballon D’or winner Luka Modric is still alive in the minds of one and all.
Frenkie rose to stardom during that campaign, grabbing attention from all over the world. With that came interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-German and FC Barcelona. Barcelona won the bidding war and completed the transfer for 75 million Euros. However, it all went downhill ever since, with his struggle under Ernesto Valverde the first indication. Frenkie was the potential replacement for Sergio Busquets according to the majority of the Barcelona fans. However, Valverde played him as a number 8 alongside Ivan Rakitic, resulting in him struggling to replicate the magic witnessed at Ajax.
Time for Xavi to put on his thinking cap
The same struggle continued even under Quique Setien, though things promised to change under former Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman, with whom Frenkie shared an amazing relationship. Koeman deployed him as a box to box midfielder who can make late runs into the box, with the midfielder scoring 7 goals that season, in a pleasant development. However, Koeman was soon sacked, with the emergence of players like Pedri, Gavi transforming Frenkie’s untouchable status for the worse.
Make no mistake, Frenkie is still a phenomenal player, but any success will require efforts from both his end as well as that of Xavi. The Netherlands midfielder gained love and appreciation, with his ability to cut down the opposition midfield with his dribbling. That is different from the scenario at Barcelona, with the opponents deploying low blocks. Another aspect is the fact that Frenkie’s biggest strength is his ball-carrying ability which can’t be exploited with him playing as a pivot. It is time for Xavi to put on his thinking cap, if the young midfielder is to enjoy a future at Camp Nou.
Written By: Sanket Patil
