“Why do you play like a postman?”… Dutch legend criticizes Barcelona key De Jong
Dutch legend van der Vaart criticizes Frankie de Jong.
“Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong has been compared to a ‘postman’ by former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart,” reported Goal.com on Wednesday (June 23).
De Jong is a central midfielder, but he is an all-around midfielder who can also play as a deep-lying playmaker or even a center back. He leads the buildup and is a good forward, which allows him to create space for the attack. He is also a good passer, making forward and transition passes with ease.
He joined Barcelona in 2019 after a breakout season at Ajax alongside De Ligt, Vanderbeek, Tadic, and Jijic. He has been a regular since his debut season and has developed into an indispensable part of the core midfield.
After the 2021/22 season, the club considered selling him to another club, but he showed tremendous loyalty and declared his intention to stay with the team. He eventually stayed, and in the 2022/23 season, he moved to Barcelona, where he had one of the best seasons of his career, which he called a career high.
He was very upset by the United transfer saga, but he kept his head down and did what he had to do to silence the transfer speculation, and his loyalty has made him a Barcelona fan favorite.
This season, he was given the No. 4 captaincy, and his performances have been tremendous. In the early part of the season, he has been a huge presence in both attack and defense. He has won the league’s MOM twice and hasn’t been injured too often, making him a fan favorite.
However, after missing October and November due to injury, De Jong made his comeback against Rayo Vallecano on Nov. 25 (local time) and has been a regular starter ever since, helping to unlock a stifling midfield. He has now started 17 league games and has been a top performer in every one of them.
Barcelona drew 1-1 with Napoli in the first leg of their 2023/24 UEFA Champions 토토사이트 League round of 16 tie at the Stadio Diego Maradona in Napoli, Italy, on Feb. 22 (ET). In this match, De Jong had his first poor performance in a long time.
Fellow Dutchman van der Vaart claimed that De Jong was playing like a postman, unable to keep up with the pace required. Van der Vaart works as a pundit for Ziggo Sport in the Netherlands and said, “Frenkie De Jong plays like a postman. Instead of taking too long to pass the ball forward, he keeps running and carrying the ball to his teammates. When you’re away from your opponent, you have to keep moving and pass the ball.”
De Jong had a 95% passing success rate, one chance created, 12 passes into the offensive zone, a 100% long pass success rate, two interceptions, two header clears, one interception, and three recoveries in the match, earning him a 6.8 rating.
