With the versatility and adaptability of players at Barcelona and their tutelage under the wings of head coach Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona were able to conquer Spanish football and emerge as La Liga winners of the previous season.
Now, as the Catalan club continues its pursuit of a new central defensive midfielder in light of the departure of club legend Sergio Busquets, they may have to resort to their ability of versatility yet again while Barcelona simultaneously continues to look for a new defensive pivot.
Options such as new arrival Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie De Jong, Franck Kessie, and Eric Garcia already exist within the spectrum of the first team in terms of players with experience in the pivot role. However, the latter two are not counted in the plans of Barcelona for next season while the first two are seen as more desirable and effective whilst being deployed as interiors.
As per Spanish outlet SPORT, Xavi Hernandez is particularly fond of the idea of deploying Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen in the pivot position should the immediate emergency ever arise of needing an alternative player to be deployed in said position.
Already possessing prior experience in the position courtesy of appearances as a central defensive midfielder during both his youth days with the Chelsea youths and the younger ranks of the Danish National team.
Moreover, the player has also made six appearances in the pivot position following his arrival into top-level football. Those six appearances have come across games for both his club, Chelsea, and his national team, Denmark, with him having been deployed as a pivot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well for the latter.
Barcelona coach Xavi, in particular, believes Christensen possesses a particular set of skills and abilities that would make him a solid option as a pivot, stating in a press conference that:
…And the way we play, because of how he filters balls, divides, and understands the free man, he could be a midfielder playing behind…
There also exists the dilemma of French defender Jules Kounde reportedly asking to be deployed more regularly as a central defender, alongside the arrival of another center half in the shape of Inigo Martinez, set to be made official soon.
By converting to a defensive midfielder, Christensen may be afforded more game time at Barcelona than he otherwise would have had if he had to share said game time with the other competing central defenders.
