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11 months ago
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Thursday night was a special occasion for Frenkie de Jong as he made his 200th appearance for FC Barcelona when he started the Copa del Rey Round of 16 clash against Unionistas de Salamanca.
The 26-year-old arrived at Barça back in 2019 from AFC Ajax and even though he has had some ups and downs, the Dutchman is now an ‘irreplaceable’ star in the lineup for manager Xavi Hernandez.
In light of his 200th appearance for the Blaugrana, De Jong sat down for an interview with the club’s official media channels, during which he discussed various topics such as the La Liga title race, the team’s Super Cup elimination, and the ambitions in the Champions League.
“I’m very proud to reach 200 appearances for Barça. It means a lot to me but I think winning trophies is more important than amassing games,” said De Jong to kick things off.
As mentioned earlier, the Netherlands international has seen many highs and lows in his time at Barcelona. And when asked to pick his best and worst moments at the club, De Jong replied:
“The worst was the day against Bayern in the Champions League and the best was winning La Liga last year.”
Spanish Super Cup and La Liga title race
Last week ended on a very disappointing note for Barcelona as they were hammered 4-1 by Real Madrid in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup. It turned the heat on the entire team as well as manager Xavi.
But De Jong insisted that one bad loss does not mean that they are having a bad season, as he said: “We didn’t play well in that game, but one game doesn’t make a season. We lost the final to Madrid and deservedly so. It was a fair result.
“We need to improve. But losing one game, and we lost it badly, doesn’t mean we’re having a bad season or anything.”
Vowing to challenge for the three titles that remain, De Jong added: “There are three titles still to play for. We’re in the quarter finals of the cup. We’re still in the Champions League. And we’re going to do everything possible to get back into contention for the league.”
Real Madrid and Girona have built up a substantial advantage over Barcelona in the La Liga table. So when asked if the Catalans can mount a comeback, the Dutchman replied:
“It depends on Real Madrid and Girona and we can’t do anything about that. But I do think we have the squad and if we improve a few things we have a very good chance of winning a lot of the games we have left. So I think we can still fight for the league.”
On the team’s chances in the Copa del Rey, he added: “Barça always has a chance in any competition. We’re in the quarters, that’s just three games to reach the final and four to win it. Me and the rest of the team are excited. We have a chance but it’ll be difficult.”
Barcelona lost the Super Cup but remain alive in three competitions. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)Napoli and the UEFA Champions League
After two years of failing to make it through the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona finally qualified this time around. And they have been drawn against Serie A title-holders Napoli in the Round of 16.
Discussing the club’s objectives in Europe, De Jong said: “If you are in a competition you are in it to win it. Every team’s goal is to win the Champions League, us too.
“That doesn’t mean that if we don’t win the Champions League it would be a disaster, but if you are in a competition, you are there to win it.”
On facing Napoli in the Round of 16, the Dutchman stated: “Napoli are a very good team. They’re still the champions of Italy and they have very good, top-class players. They’re very talented, like us.
“We’ll see because there are games before Napoli, but it’s exciting to be back in the last 16 after two years going out in the group stage. We want to qualify and we’ll do everything possible to reach the next round.”
When asked if Barcelona are the favourites for the tie, considering Napoli’s recent problems, De Jong replied: “I don’t know. These games are different. Napoli aren’t doing in the league what they did last year but they have more or less the same team, with very good players.
“If they are on form they are a very difficult opponent, but we also have a very good squad. We want to qualify for the next round and it doesn’t matter who’s favourite before. We have to show that we’re better on the pitch.”
On personal improvement and teammates
Having spent close to five years at the club, De Jong has evolved as a player in that phase. When asked what changes he sees in himself during that period, the midfielder replied:
“I’m a few years older and perhaps I’ve matured a bit. I hope I’ve improved as a player and will continue to improve and continue winning titles.”
When asked about any areas of his game that still need improvement, the Dutchman remarked: “I think I could improve in every aspect. All the players are very top quality and there’s nobody unable to make passes or defend, so it’s more a question of making small adjustments.”
In recent interviews, two young Barcelona talents, Gavi and Fermin Lopez, went on to name De Jong as one of their role models. Responding to that, the Dutchman said:
“I’m happy they say that about me. I always try to do my best and set a good example. If people appreciate that, I’m happy.”
On whether the injury-enforced absences of Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen had affected the team, he replied: “Missing players always affect the team, especially when they are as important as Gavi and Marc. All teams are hit by the absence of regular starters. Us too.”
