Without Messi, De Jong solves the lack of success of the Barça strikers

BarcelonaThe search for Barça’s regularity in the last matches in the League (the Super Cup and the Cup are a separate chapter) is going hand in hand with the evolution of Frenkie de Jong. The Dutch midfielder has scored in a season and a half in the League more goals (5) than in five seasons in the Eredivisie with Ajax (4). Ever since Ronald Koeman decided to leave the 4-2-3-1 and move to a 4-3-3 that Barça, on the whole, feel more comfortable and De Jong, in particular, is being much more protagonist and relevant in the game. Against Elche, with Messi serving his second penalty match for being sent off in the Super Cup final and with Dembélé, Braithwaite and Griezmann disconnected, the Dutch midfielder did, with a bit of luck, the hardest part yesterday: open the can.