The reason why Xavi decided to change De Jong and Dembélé

FC Barcelona got their pass to the final of the Spanish Super Cup, but not without suffering. Xavi Hernández’s men signed a match with many errors and with the same ‘punishment’ of the last few weeks: Not knowing how to close the result and inviting the rival team to ‘dream’. Before it had been Espanyol, Intercity or Atlético de Madrid and now it was Real Betis on a night that, if it hadn’t been for Ter Stegen, would have ended up being very grey.

The Mönchengladbach goalkeeper was the great protagonist of the match because he avoided the defeat of the culés in the game, but he was not the only protagonist. In the first half and before game time, Ousmane Dembélé and Frenkie de Jong had been two players who contributed a lot to Barça’s game and who made the difference on a night in which ideas did not seem to flow. Hence, it was so surprising that, at minute 61, Xavi decided to “do without” both.

It was a great mystery in the final stretch of the semifinal and a very hard blow for Barça, who did not react positively to the entry of Sergio Busquets and Ferran Torres, while also suffering the approaches of a Betis who achieved the tie in the minute 77 and that he could have added another one but it had not been for the heroic performance of Ter Stegen. After the game, Xavi solved the million dollar question: Both were suffering from discomfort.

The Barcelona coach was questioned if he had replaced Dembélé due to physical discomfort and stressed that “Yes. They had him and De Jong.” At the moment, it does not seem that the participation of both in the Super Cup final is in danger, this Sunday against Real Madrid (8:00 p.m.) and it is most likely that they have dispensed with both as a precaution to prevent the inconvenience from happening to something more serious.

Of Jong and Dembélé, keys

The fact is that both footballers, constantly criticized, They were vital for Barça in the 61′ they played against Betis. The Frenchman was the only attacker capable of generating danger in Claudio Bravo’s area, ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, who were not at all successful in the game. De Jong, for his part, played as a pivot and gave the Catalans a lot of fluidity. When he left, the team left the feeling that he was playing with less speed.