Twenty-four hours after watching his most important midfielder patrol the right flank at the Metropolitano, Xavi Hernandez publicly stepped back from the tactical experiment.
“He can play everywhere. Yesterday, he played as a full back for some minutes,” the Netherlands manager told reporters, according to a report via Bytes Europe.
Xavi acknowledged Frenkie de Jong’s stint at right-back on Sunday, but made plain the role does not fit his own plans for the midfielder at international level. He noted he had used De Jong as a centre-back during his time in charge of Barcelona, but had never tried him in the full-back position Flick had just handed him.
The Netherlands boss was quick to praise De Jong’s underlying quality.
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“All the players can play together, especially the good players,” Xavi said, adding that the midfielder “knows our philosophy, our ideas and he must be important on the pitch with us.”
Flick’s version of the switch
Flick, speaking after a 2-1 comeback win in Madrid on Sunday, framed the positional move as a planned stop-gap rather than a new role.
“I spoke with Frenkie before the match about whether he could play in that position for fifteen minutes at full-back, until Bernie got tired. And he said that if the team needed him, he was willing,” Flick told reporters.
De Jong came on at half-time and lined up on the right side of defense before shifting into central midfield once Eric Garcia was introduced. Barcelona had fallen behind to Giuliano Simeone’s 10th-minute opener before Fermin Lopez struck on the stroke of half-time and again in the 66th minute to move Flick’s side three points clear at the top of La Liga.
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First Oranje call-up since the World Cup
De Jong is back in the Dutch squad for the first time since the World Cup, named by Xavi for the Nations League group-stage double-header against Greece and Germany after a lengthy injury absence. Xavi coached the Dutchman at club level before taking the national-team job.
The former Barcelona manager also used the press conference to argue that De Jong is still underrated.
“De Jong does not get enough recognition, but not from the coaches,” Xavi said, according to Goal.
The Netherlands host Greece in Amsterdam on Friday, 13 November, before traveling to Berlin to face Germany on Monday, 16 November, matches that will decide whether the Oranje top League A, Group 2.
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