There were few players with self-confidence like Frenkie de Jong when he landed at Barcelona. He gave off aura in each of his characteristic conducts, he exuded command skills in his decision-making and his pulse did not tremble when he received from his back to dribble against risk and the rival. This has always been accompanied by a higher level of self-demand. But the three consecutive injuries to the right ankle that the Barça player suffered last season have taken a toll on his physique, but also on his head. Less superficial wounds are sometimes the most difficult to clean.
Now recovered – he reappeared on October 1 against Young Boys amid applause from Montjuïc – the five months he was unable to play are not easy to forget for the Dutchman. There are fears that are embedded in the epidermis.
Competition with Casadó, Pedri and Gavi
The great self-confidence he exhibited has been undermined by the lack of continuity
In fact, in San Sebastián, in his second start with the team, he received a blow to his left tibia and limped for the rest of the first half, in which he played diminished. At half-time, Hansi Flick chose to replace him as a precaution.
It wasn’t the same area or even the same leg, but Koeman, the Netherlands coach, watching it on television, got worried and didn’t have it all together until the footballer himself reassured him on his cell phone.
Good in the classic, without rhythm in the derby
The Blaugrana understands that the ups and downs in his performance are normal: “I will improve from now on”
On Saturday, after 14 months, De Jong put on the shirt again orange of his team to start in the Netherlands-Hungary (4-0). A return that was surely special for him, especially after missing the last Euro Cup. He played 68 minutes in the center of the field and left flashes of his quality.
Experts are rubbing their hands at having the 27-year-old brain back. “In a word: it’s great,” said former Netherlands international Aron Winter. However, after the game, De Jong could not be more honest about his feelings after so much time of inactivity. “I still have moments of sensitivity due to injuries while I play,” he admitted about some minor discomfort in that battered ankle.
Picking up the rhythm
The Dutchman assures that he is having a hard time but that he does not talk about the risk of relapse
The Barcelona player clarified that it is not that he watches or plays thinking about the risk of relapse, but that he has lost a little good feeling . “I need more games and minutes to gain confidence. I’m not saying that there is a risk, but the sensations are not the same as they were before,” he confessed.
That initial stiffness is being seen in his performance, which is irregular in the five games he has played. In the 245 minutes he has alternated good performances, such as at the Bernabéu – where his entry coincided with Barça’s four goals (0-4) –, with other disconcerting ones, such as in the derby against Espanyol, where the pace dropped a lot with him on the field (3-1).
He does not return to Barcelona
Against Bosnia he will not start but he travels to Zenica with his country
The footballer understands that these ups and downs are normal after a long process like his. “I knew it would be like this and that’s why people are not worried. It should improve from now on,” predicted the midfielder. That confidence is only gained with minutes, minutes and more minutes. For this reason, De Jong believes that playing for the Netherlands will suit him well. “I’m happy to be back. “I need games, I need rhythm to get back in good shape.”
Although he is looking for rhythm, the footballer revealed that the idea is that Bosnia-Netherlands, of the Nations League, which is played in Zenica, will not start tomorrow. “I won’t be a starter in the next game, but I will stay with the team,” he explained. A few days of coexistence that will also help to recover the Dutchman’s status as an important footballer, who at Barça, where he has a contract until 2026, will have to fight with Marc Casadó, Pedri and Gavi for one of the two positions in the center of the field.
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