In the last few matches, Xavi has been fielding his FC Barcelona team with three midfielders, as opposed to the four-man midfield that he mainly relied upon during the last season.
The choice to go with this 4-3-3 formation has been preferred because of the good form of Joao Felix as well as the injury to Frenkie de Jong, which has taken away a trusted midfielder from Xavi for a few matches.
Barcelona thin at the midfield pivot position
Oriol Romeu has been the player to play at the base of the midfield for Barcelona since the start of this season. However, the new Barcelona acquisition has struggled in this role in recent matches and gave one of the worst performances since his arrival, as he lost the ball around eleven times in the last match against Porto.
Another problem with the pivot position is that Xavi does not have any cover for Romeu in the squad. The club is currently assessing its options to bring another defensive midfielder in the winter window, but the club’s problems with FFP and the preference for Gavi’s registration and Vitor Roque’s arrival will make things complicated in this regard.
Christensen being considered for the midfield role
Thus, Barcelona will have to try some in-house solutions to this problem, and according to SPORT, Andreas Christensen is one of the players being considered for this position by Deco, Xavi, and other Barcelona sports officials.
Christensen has already played in this position during his time at Chelsea and with the Danish U-21 team, but it is also true that the role of a Barcelona pivot requires different characteristics, including good positioning, quick ball circulation, and the ability to withstand pressure.
It remains to be seen how the Dane performs in this position, but Xavi has already given an indication that he is not too resistant to the idea of Christensen playing in midfield in a press conference last season:
“He is one of the best signings of this season and of recent years. He is an extraordinary defender. And the way we play, because of how he filters balls, divides, and understands the free man, he could be a midfielder playing at the back.”
Deco also likes the idea of trying Christensen in the midfield, and with the center-back positions already locked by Kounde and Araujo, playing Christensen in the midfield may not be too bad an idea.
