Frenkie De Jong will not be playing as a midfielder in the upcoming fixtures,due to injury crisis.
Barcelona has had a difficult couple of weeks due to the injuries they have had to manage. Hector Bellerin, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and most recently Andreas Christensen have all been injured, which has had the worst impact on the defensive unit.
With critical games against Celta Vigo, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid coming up in the next ten days, it has given manager Xavi Hernandez a lot of headaches.
There are currently only two senior center-back possibilities for Xavi: Eric Garcia and Gerard Pique.
There are currently only two senior center-back possibilities for Xavi: Eric Garcia and Gerard Pique. While the latter had scarcely ever appeared until last week, he is suddenly back in the mix after being one of Barça’s greatest players this season.
Alpha Dionkou, a defender for Barcelona’s reserve squad, trained with the first team on Wednesday after being called up by the manager.
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Xavi, though, may have to rely on star midfielder Frenkie de Jong as a potential center-back option in the upcoming games due to the defensive unit’s continuous injury crisis, according to Mundo Deportivo.
During the international break, De Jong sustained an injury. The Netherlands’ star was sighted on Wednesday participating in team practice, giving the Catalans some hope that he will soon be able to play again.
This season, when Xavi wants to rest Sergio Busquets, he has deployed the 25-year-old as an interior midfielder or even as a pivot. The Dutchman has also performed admirably whenever called upon, despite no longer being a surefire starter.
And now, according to the report, the manager might ask him to do center-back duties. De Jong has experience playing in the rear, having done so frequently while playing for former boss Ronald Koeman.
Additionally, on the preseason tour of the United States earlier this summer, Xavi utilized him as a centre-half in a number of matches. Additionally, if necessary, the Barcelona manager might use the former Ajax star in the backline.
