FC Barcelona showed great spirit and faith to comeback from behind two goals and win their last home game against Celta Vigo. However, their taste for this amazing victory was somewhat soured by the injury suffered by Frenkie de Jong.
The Dutch midfielder had started the season in great form and was one of Xavi’s most trusted players in the Barcelona squad. While his absence from the squad will definitely be missed by Xavi and the team, other players will have to step up to ensure the team’s level does not drop even in the Dutchman’s absence.
Gavi to take the next step
As SPORT has noted, one of the players who will be key for the squad now in the absence of Frenkie and Pedri is Gavi.
The Spanish youngster is already playing an important role in the team after fears before the start of the season that he would have a reduced role in this squad due to the arrival of more experienced players like Ilkay Gundogan and Oriol Romeu.
However, Gavi has forced Xavi to keep him as an important part of his squad by giving highly impressive performances, especially in the last few games.
Xavi full of praise for Gavi
Xavi has already showered praise on the youngster, as he identified him as the one player who symbolized the comeback win against Celta de Vigo. Xavi had already described him as “a heart with legs” some months ago and claimed Barcelona would not have won the match against Celta without youngsters like Gavi in the team.
Gavi has seen his positioning change to some extent with the arrival of Joao Felix this season. Now he is operating closer to the base of the midfield, and seeing his involvement increase in the game. Thus, he is a prime candidate to take the next step with injuries to Frenkie and Pedri.
