Frenkie de Jong breaks the silence about his competition with Marc Casadó

Frenkie de Jong is enjoying his sweetest moment in the new project of Hansi Flick at FC Barcelona. After a 'stormy' start to the season due to issues with his right ankle, which kept him sidelined for over five months, the midfielder is beginning to find his best version again, and it seems he has made the definitive 'surpass' over Marc Casadó in midfield.

After being a starter against Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, the Dutchman started again against Rayo Vallecano (1-0). In a crucial match for the Catalans, who could regain the top spot in LaLiga if they secured the three points, the German coach put his most competitive lineup on the field at Montjuïc, and the Dutchman was chosen to accompany Pedri and Gavi in the blue and claret midfield, relegating the '17' to the bench.

Frenkie spoke about his competition with Casadó

After the match against the team managed by Iñigo Pérez, De Jong faced the press in the mixed zone and, in addition to valuing the azulgrana victory, broke his silence about his competition with Casadó. "'Casa' has a lot of quality, like the entire squad, we can all contribute," the player limited himself to saying, assuring he was "happy for the victory and the first place."

However, he did not want to raise the euphoria of the Barcelona fans since "there is still a long way to go, we are all very close in the standings and there is nothing to celebrate." Finally, he emphasized the importance of Barça's victory by stating that "Rayo is a good team, they press a lot, and the ball exit was very difficult for us, but to win something at the end of the season, we need to get through these matches."

De Jong confirms the 'surpass' in midfield

The great performance of Frenkie in the last matches, especially in the 'finals' against the Sevillians and the franjirrojos, confirms his spectacular form, which has earned him the trust of Flick, who has been his main supporter at Can Barça since his arrival in the Catalan city. However, Casadó has been the main 'victim' of the resurgence of '21', as his participation in the first team has been reduced after being an 'untouchable' in the first half of the season.

However, with almost four months of competition still to play and a significant load of matches, it is normal for the academy player and the Dutchman to share minutes in the midfield to balance the physical wear between them, although it is also true that, as of today, it seems that De Jong has won the battle in midfield.

Statistics for the 2024-2025 season of Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casadó:

📊 Frenkie de Jong

1. Matches played: 24
2. Starts: 4 in LaLiga, 3 in the Copa del Rey, 0 in the Supercopa de España, and 2 in the Champions League.
3. Goals: 2
4. Assists: 1
5. Minutes played: 556 in LaLiga

📊 Marc Casadó

1. Matches played: 31
2. Starts: 17 in LaLiga, 0 in the Copa del Rey, 2 in the Supercopa de España, and 7 in the Champions League.
3. Goals: 0
4. Assists: 6
5. Minutes played: 1,369 in LaLiga

These statistics reflect the participation and contribution of both players this season, highlighting the greater playing time and assists of Marc Casadó compared to Frenkie de Jong.