Xavi likely to continue with Barcelona defender in makeshift role against Granada

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez made a bold decision to start Andreas Christensen in the defensive midfield role during their last game against Deportivo Alaves.

There had been plenty of talk about the 27-year-old being deployed in midfield in the past, but Xavi had not pulled the trigger on that move until last week.

And when he did, the move paid dividends as Christensen put in a solid shift as the pivot midfielder, freeing up the likes of Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan, and Frenkie de Jong to make things happen further up the pitch.

Christensen likely to continue in midfield vs Granada

Ahead of tomorrow night’s La Liga clash against Granada, SPORT is reporting that Xavi is likely to stick with Christensen as a makeshift defensive midfielder.

As things stand, the idea appears to be to go into the game with a four-man midfield setup which would see Christensen occupy the deepest position in the centre of the park.

The other three slots will likely be taken up by the world-class trio of Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong, and Pedri.

Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal ought to be the two attackers while Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Joao Cancelo, and one of Inigo Martinez or Pau Cubarsi form the backline.

Christensen has past experience of playing in the defensive midfield role and gave a good account of himself against Alaves.

The Danish international was sound in his defensive responsibilities and used the ball when in possession, performing to the team’s needs.

As such, the experiment is likely to continue in the games to continue, starting with tomorrow night’s clash against Granada at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.