FC Barcelona dropped two points on a difficult trip away to Club Brugge in the Champions League. The Catalan club were poor defensively but, from an attacking point of view, they managed to score three goals on the night.
Lamine Yamal, in particular, had an excellent game against Brugge. It has been a while since the Spaniard played at the level he showed last night. Aside from him, Fermin Lopez and Frenkie de Jong were the other players who could hold their heads high.
Frenkie was tasked with a lot of responsibility in Pedri’s absence, and he did not put a foot wrong against Brugge. Marc Casado offered little support to the Dutchman, leaving him to shoulder most of the burden.
Stats from Sofascore underline how much Frenkie dominated midfield. The 28-year-old played the full 90 minutes against the Belgian side, recording an xA of 0.12 and providing two key passes.
Frenkie had 127 touches, completing 116 of 120 passes at 97% accuracy. This included 83 of 86 attempted passes in the opposition half, 33 of 34 in his own half, and three of three completed long balls.
Defensively, he was spot on, winning two of two tackles, three of three ground duels, and his only aerial duel. He also made one interception and five recoveries. The numbers show he did not put a foot wrong against Brugge.
It is a shame that such a commanding and flawless performance did not come in a winning cause for Barcelona. Even so, it was another reminder of just how good Frenkie de Jong is and how important he is to the team.
In Pedri’s absence, Frenkie is taking on more and more responsibility. It is time to get on his bandwagon and put all doubts behind us.
Stats overview:
- Minutes played: 90
- Expected assists (xA): 0.12
- Key passes: 2
- Touches: 127
- Passes: 116/120 completed (97%)
- Passes in opposition half: 83/86
- Passes in own half: 33/34
- Accurate long balls: 3/3
- Tackles won: 2/2
- Ground duels won: 3/3
- Aerial duels won: 1/1
- Interceptions: 1
- Recoveries: 5
