Frenkie de Jong is already taking part in like the long run star Barcelona hoped he could be.
The 23-year-old Netherlands midfielder, who joined from Ajax two years in the past, has scored 4 targets this month whereas additionally taking part in a key half in creating different targets together with his passing.
De Jong has been at his finest over the previous week. Last weekend, he scored one objective and arrange one other in a 2-0 win at Elche to guide the workforce with Lionel Messi suspended. On Wednesday, De Jong made a key go that put Antoine Griezmann in place to help Messi in a 2-1 victory at Rayo Vallecano within the round-of-16 of the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona’s streak of 4 league wins — all on the highway — have saved the workforce from falling utterly out of the league title race, which is led by Atlético Madrid. Barcelona, together with Sevilla, can be among the many favorites to win the Copa del Rey with Atlético and Real Madrid eradicated.
“We are on a good run,” De Jong stated after match at Rayo. “We are playing well as a team, growing each week, and we just need to keep it going.”
Barcelona can have its subsequent check at residence on Sunday when it hosts a vastly improved Athletic Bilbao workforce beneath coach Marcelino García Toral.
Two weeks in the past, Bilbao upset Barcelona within the Spanish Super Cup ultimate. The Basque workforce equalized within the ninetieth minute and snatched a 3-2 victory on Iñaki William’s injury-time objective. The disappointing loss for Barcelona was made worse as Messi earned his first ever purple card for the membership and was suspended for 2 matches for hitting an opponent within the ultimate minutes.
While Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has toyed together with his lineups this season, De Jong has been a relentless fixture, together with Messi and younger playmaker Pedro “Pedri” González.
De Jong’s potential to choose his moments for runs into the world has given Barcelona an added dimension that Koeman has insisted is essential to getting the workforce again to taking part in its finest. De Jong scored two targets in 42 video games final season. He already has 5 in 27 this season.
“I am arriving more to the area and that means I am scoring more than before,” De Jong stated.
For Koeman, De Jong is an excellent higher participant than the one which helped Ajax reached the 2019 Champions League semifinals after ousting each Real Madrid and Juventus. Barcelona paid 75 million euros ($85.5 million) to convey him to Spain that season.
“We need him. We need our midfielders to be attack-minded,” Koeman stated. “He is a very technically skilled player. He helps us build the attack from the midfield. We talked with him about helping more in attack, scoring more than just one goal per season. He is a more complete player now than when he played for Ajax.”
Bilbao will likely be heading to the Camp Nou on a powerful run after beating each Madrid and Barcelona to win the Spanish Super Cup earlier than routing Getafe 5-1 within the league.
Earlier on Sunday, Atlético will go to Cádiz seeking to prolong its run of seven straight victories within the league. The workforce is seven factors away from second-place Madrid with a sport in hand. Barcelona is one other three factors again.
Luis Suárez, which cash-strapped Barcelona virtually gave away to Atlético, has scored three targets within the workforce’s final two victories, each coming from behind. Suárez and Sevilla ahead Youssef En-Nesyri lead the league in scoring with 12 targets every.
Madrid performs at residence on Saturday in opposition to a mid-table Levante workforce that has solely misplaced twice within the final 14 matches.