Midfield general Frenkie de Jong
Since the departure of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong's role in the blaugrana midfield has become more prominent. One of the new first team captains this season, the Dutchman has proved vital at moving the ball through midfield in the league so far, with OPTA data supporting the insight.
After the four league games played this season, De Jong has the highest number of completed passes in LaLiga (451). What's more, he is the only player to have completed more than 400 passes, with teammate Jules Koundé second on the list with 347 completed passes.
Pass master
His 93.79% pass accuracy is also worth highlighting, placing him second for most accurate passer in the competition. Only his teammate Christensen has done better with a 95.87% pass accuracy. Koundé and Oriol Romeu are also among the most accurate passers in LaLiga, with a 91.93% and 91.8% pass completion rate respectively.
Frenkie's ability to conduct the midfield doesn't only derive from his quality passing, however. The Dutchman has more progressive carries than any other player in LaLiga with 94. In other words, no other player has carried the ball at least five metres towards the opposition's goal than Barça's fourth captain. Jules Koundé is second for progressive carries with 50. Both blaugrana players notably lead this stat, and are joined in the top three by Igor Zubeldia with 50.
Most ball recoveries in LaLiga
De Jong is also in great form defensively. After completing 90 minutes in the four league games so far, Frenkie is the player with most ball recoveries in the competition with 36. The Dutchman's importance to Xavi Hernández' side is clear both in terms of progressing the team forward and his defensive skills.