Barcelona received some bad news on Thursday with the confirmation of a potential six-week absence for Frenkie de Jong after the midfielder suffered a hamstring injury that will likely sideline him through the March international break.
It’s certainly a big blow for Barça as the Dutchman had been one of the team’s most consistent performers all season, and he’ll be missed during a massive stretch of games in three different competitions, including both legs of the Champions League Round of 16 against
Newcastle.
But his coach is still confident the rest of the team can make up for Frenkie’s absence. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Hansi Flick spoke about the window of opportunity that has been opened for other players to stake their claim for a spot in the lineup in De Jong’s place, and the coach is positive there is enough quality and tactical variety to help sustain the loss of one of the team’s best players.
“We don’t like it when a player can’t play, especially a player of Frenkie’s quality. It’s not an easy time, but it also gives us the opportunity for other players to play. I focus on the positive.
“All teams have problems, and that’s what we have to manage. We have a lot of quality in the squad and various options to play with. I see it as other players getting opportunities; we’re focusing on what we do have available.”
The return of Pedri is an absolutely massive boost after Frenkie’s injury, and keeping The Wizard fit during this stretch should be the number one priority. Pedri’s partner will have a lot of responsibility to try and replicate not only Frenkie’s impact but the chemistry he’s built with Pedri over time, and the likes of Marc Bernal, Marc Casadó and even Eric Garcia will all be given huge opportunities during what is undoubtedly the most important month of the season.
