Xavi caused some surprise with his team selection in Barcelona’s victory over Cadiz as he chose Frenkie De Jong to start at centre-back, but his decision ultimately paid off.
The Dutchman was tested in a different role, with Ronald Araujo and Inigo Martinez injured, as he played in the back line behind Oriol Romeu, Ilkay Gundogan, Gavi and Pedri in a lineup dominated by midfielders.
Barcelona were not at their best against Cadiz, but scored two late goals to secure a first La Liga victory of the season, in a game in which they dominated possession and created a lot of chances.
Xavi’s side registered 75% possession, and they were able to dominate the ball thanks to De Jong’s passing ability from deep.
The 26-year-old completed an astonishing 109 of his 112 attempted passes, and even created a big chance as per SofaScore.
The metronome at the back
Given that Barcelona were at home to Cadiz, trying De Jong as a defender, which allowed Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde to push further up, worked on this occasion, with De Jong keeping the ball ticking and recycling possession.
However, Xavi should be cautious about trying this against tougher opponents, who may have more physical forwards than Roger Marti and Alex Fernandez. Perhaps the absence of Araujo and Martinez influenced this decision, but the expected arrival of Joao Cancelo could mean Xavi tries this again, with De Jong essentially helping to form a back three.
De Jong also won four of his five attempted duels in what was an impressive all-round display, and there is now incredible competition to get into the Barcelona midfield.
Xavi has previously described De Jong as “important,” and he is now enjoying more regular gametime under the Spaniard.
Facing tough opponents in Villarreal, and potentially a physical forward in Alex Sorloth on Sunday may perhaps give a better indication of how this system may fare if Xavi chooses to keep the same lineup.