Ernesto Valverde has used eight different midfielders in the 16 games played so far: 12 in LaLiga and three in Champions League. He has used the seven players he had for that area, but the distribution of minutes is very different. If there is a leading player, that is definitely Frenkie de Jong. He has been out for 7 out of the 8 combinations, has played as a starter in 15 out of 16 matches without leaving until the last whistle. Against Villarreal, he also had 28 minutes.
Barça’s coach design his strategy thinking about having De Jong and two other men in the field, being the most repeated combo: De Jong, Busquets and Arthur. This is his favorite. These three players are the ones with more minutes in the center of the field. The Dutchman already has 1305 played, being 945 in LaLiga with Barça. Sergi Roberto is the next one having more presence on the side. Busquets adds 984 and Arthur, 843.
If something is enabling the active presence of the Dutchman in Barça is his versatility. The former Ajax player has played both as pivot and inside right and left. Valverde is moving him according to his partners’ creation and containment. Thus, if Busquets plays, the pivot is his and he chooses; if Arthur plays, De Jong is placed more to the right; if Sergi Roberto plays, he opts to move him to the left. And his performance is quite regular despite all these changes.
Source: https://www.marca.com/futbol/barcelona/2019/11/17/5dce8bdb22601d960e8b4690.html
Category: Football analyses