FC Barcelona is currently in a much better place in terms of overall depth than they were last season. La Blaugrana now possesses great backup options in almost every position. However, despite this boost in depth, one particular position remains a massive concern.
Ever since Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets departed the club, his vacant position has been a problem to address. The pivot role is instrumental to Barcelona given their tendency to play out from the back. Needing an urgent recruit to fill in those massive boots, Barça were hindered by their economic difficulties.
Lack of depth for the pivot position
Ultimately, the Catalan giants had to settle on signing Oriol Romeu. A former La Masia product, the 32-year-old midfielder arrived for around €3 million from Girona. However, having just one specialist in the position is more or less playing with fire, and Xavi has a few quick-fix alternative options within the team.
Names like Ilkay Gundogan and Frenkie de Jong come naturally. However, a more unconventional option is that of Danish defender Andreas Christensen. The central defender has previously played in that position both for Chelsea and his National team.
Versatile Dane
In a recent press conference while with the Danish National team, the player himself talked about this possibility. Originally questioned about if playing as a pivot was a real option with Barcelona given the recent injuries piling up, he replied:
“They haven’t asked me yet, but I actually think it could be a lot of fun. We’ve had some injuries, and I think it would be okay. I’ve tried it before, so it wouldn’t be completely new, but I haven’t been asked yet.”
Continuing his talk with TV 2 Sport, he was then asked if he would like to try the position. The Danish defender replied positively to this:
“I would like to try it a couple of times and give it a chance to see how it is.”
Selection headaches and frustrations
The Danish defender was also left frustrated by certain changes in the lineup. Having wanted to play against Porto, the 27-year-old was instead benched by Xavi and that was a rather unexplained and frustrating moment for the Dane:
“I can’t explain the Champions League match. I would have liked to play.”
“Were you frustrated that you didn’t play that match?”
“Yes, I was. I always will be. It was only the Mallorca match that I thought I needed rest because I had so many minor injuries. It was nice, but since I’ve been fit, I’ve wanted to play, so it was frustrating.”
Given his versatility and the lack of depth for the pivot position, seeing Christensen make an appearance in the midfield is not too wild of a thought. Barcelona next return to action against Athletic Bilbao on the 22nd of October in La Liga, a game that Christensen will do his best to feature in for Barça.
