Frenkie De Jong shines as he's handed more freedom playing for Holland

For those who haven't seen it yet, I recommend you look at Frenkie de Jong's goal for Holland against Germany last night. More important than the timing of his goal (Holland were losing 1-0), it was further proof of what he's capable of when arriving from deep positions. The Barça star showed his efficiency in the final third by calmly taking a ball crossed in from the left, wiping out his marker, and coolly slotting it past Manuel Neuer.

MORE TO COME FROM FRENKIE AT BARÇA

This was because of the liberty and freedom de Jong is given at international level. He set the pace and Ronald Koeman allows him to lead the team. De Jong wants the ball more, he comes deep and pushes the move forward, going long and short. Seeing him shine against top tier opposition in this role does create some doubts about his impact at Barça so far.

Does Frenkie feel that same freedom when he puts on the 'azulgrana' shirt? It's true that it's barely been three matches so far. He's also very young and to be a certain starter carries more pressure which he'll adjust to over time. But you get the feeling under Ernesto Valverde that he's more concerned with his positional awareness rather than being allowed the freedom to roam. This prevents him from arriving in the opponent's box as we saw with Holland. One of his specialities, aside from shots from outside the penalty area, is his ability to drift between the lines and find space in amongst a crowd of defenders.

SELF CRITICISM

"Everything went well in preseason but I have to be honest and say I haven't played my best in the league," he admitted a few days ago. "Some are panicking but I'm not." No one at the club is worried either and it's probably a question of adapting to his new surroundings, and teammates, before he unleashes his full potential in that role. A free and confident Frenkie would be a huge asset for Barça.