Barcelona’s 4-4 draw towards Atletico Madrid within the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg left a bitter style at Can Barça.
After mounting a powerful comeback from 0-2 down to guide 4-2, the Catalans conceded two late objectives, leaving the semi-final tie broad open forward of the second leg in Madrid.
A number of elements contributed to Barcelona’s collapse. The staff began poorly and struggled to manage the ultimate minutes, and Hansi Flick himself admitted that a few of his substitutions could not have been best.
Nonetheless, the German coach has additionally pinpointed particular person errors, with Frenkie de Jong amongst these underneath scrutiny.
Flick calls for higher defensive aggression from De Jong
Certainly, as per MARCA, Flick has requested De Jong to be extra aggressive in defensive conditions.
Whereas the Dutch midfielder has impressed offensively and grown in stature in latest weeks, the coach believes he have to be extra decisive when defending, particularly when taking part in alongside Pedri in a double pivot.
Flick desires De Jong to be extra aggressive in defence. (Photograph by David Ramos/Getty Pictures)
The Netherlands worldwide’s defensive shortcomings have been evident in a few of Atletico Madrid’s objectives at Montjuic on Tuesday.
The Rojiblancos’ second objective stemmed from a Jules Kounde mistake, gifting the ball to Julian Alvarez, who launched the counterattack that Griezmann completed off. In that second, De Jong had the chance to cease Alvarez with a tactical foul however hesitated.
The third objective additional uncovered this situation. Angel Correa reached the byline earlier than crossing, and De Jong failed to shut him down aggressively, as a substitute making an attempt to dam the passing lane unsuccessfully.
For these causes, Flick has urged De Jong to enhance his defensive contributions, highlighting the significance of extra bodily and tactical self-discipline, particularly in high-stakes matches like Tuesday’s Copa del Rey conflict.
The Barcelona captain has as soon as once more grow to be an everyday starter after struggling for minutes following his return from damage. However he might want to enhance the defensive aspect of his sport to carry down his place within the aspect, with Marc Casado ready on the sidelines for his probability.