Analysis of the competition between Marc Bernal and Frenkie de Jong

Here at Comuniate we reveal the keys to the midfield competition between the youth graduate and the second Barça captain by breaking down the differences between one player and the other.

77

Marc Bernal
7.910.000€+60.000€    5

J1

MD

12

Starting with Marc, there are several points in his favor:

1.- He doesn’t invade zones, but rather occupies spaces; he knows where to position himself at any moment during the match. In short, he holds his position very efficiently.

2.- He has great arrival and proof of this is that he has scored 5 goals in recent matches (2 in La Liga, 2 in Copa del Rey, and 1 in the Champions League). Great numbers for the Barça midfielder.

3.- He is an excellent duel winner due to his physicality. He wins 54% of duels overall and 56% in aerial duels.

134

De Jong
6.700.000€+180.000€    -

J1

MD

41

Regarding Frenkie, his points in favor are as follows:

1.- He exerts great control over the game. He averages 73 passes per game (even more than Pedri, with all that entails) and is the Barça player with the best numbers in this aspect.

2.- He is the player who best knows how to bypass man-marking along with Pedri. He can escape pressure by dribbling or feinting.

3.- He has great experience and composure, especially in matches against higher caliber teams.

From my point of view, in such a vertical Barça as this one, you have that point of control in De Jong associating with Pedri. Against "big" opponents, the team needs stability, and right now the Barça team has not had that in recent matches due to the Dutchman’s absence. And I think that could be the key reason why Flick bets on Frenkie whenever he is fully recovered.

However, I believe both players can be compatible when Pedri is absent, forming the Barça midfield with three great players like Bernal, De Jong, and Fermín.

In short, we will have to wait until after the international break to see what happens, but there is no doubt that here, the only big beneficiary of this competition is the team and its coach, who will be able to choose between two great “ball players” to shape the starting eleven.