Frenkie de Jong is not happy with his performance in Netherlands 4-2 loss to Turkey last week.
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The Barcelona midfielder accompanied Frank de Boer for the pre-match press conference ahead of Netherlands clash with Gibraltar on Tuesday.
Speaking about his performance against Turkey, De Jong said, “I played very poorly. Not compelling enough, not dominant enough, too sloppy … I didn’t really add anything, didn’t create any chances and it wasn’t top defensively either. Yes, it was very mediocre.”
De Jong thought things were going a bit better in the 2-0 win over Latvia, “Not special, but not bad either. Fine, I think.”
De Jong then spoke of his more attacking role with Barcelona at the start of the year, which saw the Dutchman net four times, “I was a bit more attacking at Barça for a while, as one of the two forward midfielders. As a result, I came into the sixteen a lot more often. And if you want to score, you have to get there. It is mainly a mindset.”
Ronald Koeman influenced this change, “The trainer indicated that I had to be more in the sixteen at that position, yes. Especially when Lionel Messi played in the striker. He often drops and I can then dive into that space.”
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So refreshing to hear someone own up and rather than throw blame, instead, critically analyze self, and move on. I really like Frenkie! Humility, confidence and ability can be a balancing act, but he seems to do well with them.
The guys is good i like him