De Jong aims for the starting eleven against Valencia and declares 'war' on Casadó

Frenkie de Jong could benefit from Hansi Flick's rotation plan against Valencia. The mister promised rotations in the press conference ahead of the match on Sunday in Montjuïc (21:00 CEST) and the Dutchman, who just played the entire second half against Getafe, is aiming for the starting eleven for the first time in La Liga since November 10, in the loss at Anoeta against Real Sociedad (1-0).

In that sense, the player from Arkel is gradually regaining confidence and openly declares 'war' on Marc Casadó for a spot in the lineup. Frenkie replaced the player from Sant Pere de Vilamajor against Getafe and Benfica, two matches in which the Catalan midfielder was far from his best version. The '17' has been having a great season in the pivot role, becoming the ideal partner for Pedri González.

Flick will put pressure on Casadó with De Jong

However, De Jong has been gradually closing the gap with Marc in the fight for a starting position, a battle that the Dutchman seemed to have completely lost a couple of weeks ago. The '21' barely played 17 minutes in the Supercopa de España, remaining on the bench in the final against Real Madrid, a match where Casadó put on a show in midfield. Barça did not rule out the departure of the former Ajax player in January, but the 27-year-old has never had any real intentions of leaving.

Looking ahead to next summer, the situation could be very different, as if he does not renew before June 30, Barcelona will seek to force his transfer. Meanwhile, Hansi Flick is only thinking about recovering the best version of Frenkie, understanding that, when in peak physical condition, the Dutchman can be of great help to a Barça that already suffered in the last month of 2024 from the physical wear of a short squad.

The team needs to rotate to be at their best for the decisive stretch of the season. Hence, the mister prioritizes avoiding departures in January, except for the residual players (Ansu, Pablo Torre, and Christensen). Additionally, De Jong's presence allows for healthy pressure on a Casadó who must not relax if he wants to maintain his starting position in the coming months. The same goes for Iñaki Peña and Wojciech Szczesny. In that sense, Flick will not hesitate to stimulate competition line by line to ensure the squad performs at the highest level.