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Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has praised defender Andreas Christensen for his impact on the club this season.
Christensen joined the Blaugrana last summer on a Bosman move following the expiry of his contract with Chelsea. The Dane quickly became one of Xavi's preferred centre-backs alongside Ronald Araujo and has been an obvious starter when fit.
His arrival has helped the club plug a defense that has been leaky in previous seasons, at least domestically. This saw Christensen receive praise from Xavi, who said ahead of the Catalans' La Liga encounter against Osasuna (as quoted by Barca Universal):
“Christensen is one of the best signings for Barcelona in recent years, without a doubt.”
The former Chelsea man has missed 15 matches across competitions this term due to an ankle sprain and muscle injury. This has limited him to 26 appearances across competitions, 17 of which have come in La Liga. In those league games, Barcelona have kept 11 clean sheets.
Christensen has averaged 3.1 successful duels, 2.5 clearances, 0.9 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per La Liga game. He has also completed 94% of his passes on average, including a 91% completion rate in the opposition half.
Andreas Christensen scored his first goal for Barcelona over the weekend
Andreas Christensen's defensive prowess has been vital to Barcelona's fortunes in the ongoing campaign. However, on Saturday (April 29) against Real Betis, he played a key role in the Catalans breaking their dry spell in front of goal.
Prior to the match, Xavi Hernandez's side had not scored more than once in five matches across competitions, with Christensen missing all of those games. They also entered the contest on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Rayo Vallecano.
However, the Dane got the ball rolling in the 14th minute, heading home from Raphinha's cross. The Blaugrana went on to win the match 4-0 courtesy of goals from Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, as well as a Guido Rodriguez own-goal.
Apart from scoring the opener, Christensen also completed 46 of his 47 passes, recorded a key pass and made a clearance.
Barcelona were certainly bolstered by the centre-back's return to the starting XI. They will hope for another solid showing from him when they take on Osasuna away from home on Tuesday, May 2.
Victory in that game will leave them needing just five points from their final five matches to secure the La Liga title.
