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Frenkie de Jong is currently one of the best youngsters in Europe and his ability to dominate the midfield has made him be considered as one of the best midfielders at the age of 21. While he might not have the flair or the skills to make him a joy to watch week in week out, he plays a role that often does not get the required credit but makes the play of any team tick - The midfield anchor.
Frenkie did not come through directly from the Ajax academy but was snatched from another Dutch side, Willem. Ever since his first team debut for Ajax, the 21-year-old has made over 40 senior appearances for the Dutch side playing in a variety of positions. One thing that stands out is his versatility. The 21-year-old has a unique set of skills that make him an effective player in multiple positions. His time at Ajax has seen him being deployed as a center half as well as in various roles in midfield.
Since the beginning of the 2018/19 season, his performances, especially in the UEFA Champions League, have resulted in many top European clubs showing interest in the Netherlands midfielder but it appears as if Barcelona, PSG, and Manchester City are the ones leading the chase. A record-breaking transfer could be on the cards! Here's a look at why the 21-year-old midfielder is considered one of the hottest prospects in world football by taking an in-depth look at his style of play and what he can offer to a team.
1. Defending
In his breakthrough season with Ajax, de Jong was mostly utilized as a center-back in Ajax's preferred 4-3-3 formation. The Dutch side benefited greatly from de Jong’s excellent awareness and ball-playing abilities. In this case, he was deployed as one of the center halves where he was required to read the game from deep before finding spaces to run with the ball, helping progress play from deep into his own half. In this system, the Ajax fullbacks were required to spread out and not overlap when in possession. This gave de Jong the freedom to overlap and initiate the play high up the field, giving the impression of a false center half.
As a player who operates in the deeper zones, his defensive stats are also impressive. With 1.5 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game in the Eredivisie this season, it tells us that de Jong is also a destroyer. More impressive is the fact that he has managed to win an average of 1.1 aerial duels per game despite his lighter frame.
His concentration and ability to read the game made him excel as one of the center halves for Ajax last season and perfect Ajax’s style of building from the back.
2. Dribbling
Frenkie de Jong has been used as a deep-lying midfielder this season both for Ajax and the Dutch national team. He has featured in both the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formation for Ajax and he has shown that he is not only able to connect the defense with the attack but also break up the opposition play.
One of the things that makes de Jong a terrific prospect is his ability to find pockets of space and progress play through his dribbling. The 21-year-old is a great dribbler and he always attempts to make surging runs with the ball into the opposition territory from his own half. This makes him a special deep-lying midfielder capable of changing the dynamics of play. He has helped Ajax launch quick counter attacks as a result of transition from defense to attack instead of hooking long balls in behind the defense.
Midfield dribblers help in destabilizing the defensive shape of the opposing back line as well as the space-creation for marked teammates by changing the focus of the opposition. This ends up in the opening of spaces near the penalty area which in turn leads to creation of goalscoring opportunities. This perhaps explains the demand for midfielders with excellent ball-carrying abilities by many teams.
3. Passing
De Jong is also an underrated passer of the ball. He finished last season’s Eredivisie as the top passer with an accuracy of 92.9% and this season he has averaged 80.1 passes per game with an accuracy of 92.3%. What’s more impressive in this is the fact that he always attempts the more risky passes into the attacking third. His timing and precision of through balls also make him one of the most underrated line-breakers in Europe's top leagues. His ability to execute a perfectly timed final pass after dribbling into space is so satisfying from a deeper midfield player. He has delivered 1.3 key passes on average so far this season.
4. Movement
Press resistance is also a skill that the Dutch international boosts of having. With great close control and quick feet coupled with high technical ability, de Jong rarely loses the ball and overcomes the first line of the press with ease. His small body weight makes him capable of shifting position and changing direction within a fraction of a second. His off-the-ball movement is as equally impressive as his ability when in possession. He always moves around the pitch creating passing combinations with teammates and occasionally finds himself in dangerous positions to shoot.
Conclusion
Judging by his style of play, it’s evident that Frenkie and Barcelona would be a match made in heaven. With the need to replace Sergio Busquets in the near future, Frenkie ticks all the boxes and even adds the quality of carrying the ball from deep which Busquets cannot boast of having. De Jong is a fantastic midfielder and the fact that his services are being monitored by such big clubs in Europe is the testament to that.
