Hansi Flick had nothing but positive words to say about his players after the hard-fought win over Benfica, which gives the team a significant advantage ahead of the second leg, as they have everything in their favor to reach the quarter-finals.
All of Barcelona’s players performed very well, and they managed to win on a very difficult pitch against an opponent who was in great form, having not known defeat in their last ten matches.
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According to information from the Spanish newspaper ‘‘El Nacional‘‘, even after the sending off of Pau Coparsi, Benfica were unable to beat the Blaugrana. Several players performed exceptionally, such as Pedri González and Wojciech Szczesny, who were two of the standout players in the match. It is also important to mention Frenkie de Jong, who once again showed that he is in excellent form and proved the correctness of Hansi’s decision to return him to the starting lineup and remove Marc Casado from it.
The Dutch international once again put in an impressive performance. He has established himself as a defensive pivot and has fully understood the instructions of the technical staff, making him a mainstay in the team at the moment.
This situation seemed completely unexpected just a few weeks ago when he was completely ruled out of the squad by Flick, who punished him with no playing time for more than two weeks due to his behavior and poor contribution. It was thought that his future was far from Camp Nou, as his contract runs until 2026, and Joan Laporta and Deco were already looking for a buyer for him.
But De Jong has managed to change that situation, proving once again that he is a global star and one of the best midfielders in the world, something that is celebrated at Barcelona.
Flick congratulated De Jong after the final whistle and expressed his happiness with his recent performances, as he has become the ideal partner for Pedri. For this reason, both Casado and Pablo Gavi have had to take responsibility as substitutes.
