The Dutch midfielder did not lose the ball once in the 106 minutes he was on the pitch despite the Netherlands' final elimination.
After a shaky start to the season, Frenkie de Jong has managed to earn Flick 's trust at Barça and has played his best minutes of the season for the Netherlands . In the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals, he was instrumental in almost completely eliminating Pedri from Spain 's play , and in the return leg at Mestalla, he successfully completed all 74 passes he attempted, demonstrating his influence in the Dutch national team's play.
Despite the Netherlands ' 5-4 penalty shootout, De Jong played 106 minutes of the match, creating one goal-scoring opportunity, completing 100% of his dribbles, making 17 passes into the final third of the pitch and not once losing possession. The Barça midfielder helped his team overcome Spain 's pressing time and time again, allowing his teammates to create dangerous opportunities against Unai Simón 's goal .
In defense, one of the aspects of his game that has been most criticized, De Jong demonstrated great solidity. He won both duels he played, made two clearances, recovered five balls, and blocked one shot from the opposing team. All of this without committing a single foul throughout the entire match.
De Jong's match against Spain
106 minutes
74/74 passes completed
1 chance created
100% dribbles completed
100% successful tackles
2/2 duels won
17 passes into the final third
0 turnovers
2 clearances
5 recoveries
1 shot blocked
0 fouls committed
With Marc Casadó injured and his strong playing time with the Netherlands under Ronald Koeman, De Jong is Hansi Flick 's first choice for the pivot position at Barça . If he maintains this level of form, he could be a key player heading into the final stretch of the season.