Frenkie de Jong had a difficult start to this season in FC Barcelona, as his salary was a frequent subject of the media discourse on the player and he was strongly linked with a move away from Camp Nou. However, as the season has progressed, the Dutch midfielder has gradually stabilized his position in the team, which was apparent more than ever during the win over Cadiz last night.
FC Barcelona defeated Cadiz 2-0 on Sunday night, courtesy of goals from Sergi Roberto and Robert Lewandowski. While the match was never really expected to be especially difficult for La Blaugrana, the fact that this tie was sandwiched between the two legs of Europa League play-offs against a resurgent Manchester United, the first match of which ended in a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou, entangled it further for the Garnet and Blue.
Furthermore, the absences of Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele, and Pedri from the squad also made things complicated for the Catalan club.
Frenkie de Jong played the role of an anchor in this match, a position in which he has excelled since his breakthrough with Ajax. While his performance was rather quiet, he still had a game to remember particularly because of the ovation he received from the fans as he was leaving the pitch.
Frenkie returned this show of appreciation from the fans with applause, showing that the relationship between the player and the fans is recovering and growing, which was damaged by media highlighting his disruptive wage structure at the start of the season.
Furthermore, Frenkie’s adaptation of Xavi’s style of play, and his performances in the last few games, also ensure that the club would be unwilling to part ways with the player at the end of this season. Still, Barcelona will have to tread carefully as Manchester United, especially Eric Ten Haag -who was the man responsible for the breaking out of the Frenkie at Ajax- are still interested in the player according to Mundo Deportivo.