After analysing Ansu Fatis role in Ronald Koemans tactics, we bring you another scout report, this time focusing on Frenkie de Jong. With the two knowing each other from the Dutch national team, the young star is set to play a key part in the new Barcelona.
Since the start of the 2020/21 LaLiga season, we’ve already started to see that come to fruition. This tactical analysis will dissect De Jong’s role in Koeman’s system and explain how the new coach is planning to use his midfielder.
The function of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1
Just as we’ve done with the previous scout report, we’ll start the analysis by explaining the main functions of the role the player in question is supposed to perform. The main difference in midfield between Barcelona’s usual 4-3-3 and the current 4-2-3-1 is in the double pivot.
So far, the chosen duo for the former Everton man has been the partnership between De Jong and Sergio Busquets. But when it comes to a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1, usually their tasks on the pitch will vary.
Below, we can see the movement of both players and the relationships the left-side pivot forms in the build-up play. Since that’s the position De Jong will usually play, we’ll focus on it for now.
And while the relationship and connections on the pitch are mostly the same for both midfielders, just on the opposite side, the movement is different. One of them is more of a defensive midfielder while the other can be a deep playmaker.
De Jong fits the profile of the latter type. Notice that his role is freer and he gets the licence to both drop deeper and advance much higher up the pitch. We’ll get into the details a bit later into this scout report once the tactical analysis shifts to specific situations during a game.
When it
