Marco van Basten urges Barcelona midfielder to be more like Pedri
Netherlands legend Marco van Basten has criticised Frenkie de Jong for his “slow” performance in midfield, asking him to play much quicker and take more risks like his Barcelona teammate Pedri.
Van Basten said he was particularly disappointed with the player’s performance in the Netherlands’ 4-0 win over Finland on Sunday.
De Jong started alongside Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch as the double anchor in a 4-2-3-1, the same position he plays for Barcelona. But Van Basten, former Netherlands striker and one of the most influential players to have ever played the game, said there was a lack of urgency in De Jong’s game.
“We expected Frenkie to speed up the game, but he didn’t,” Van Basten told Ziggo Sport. “That was disappointing.
“His job is to move the ball quickly from back to front, but he barely did that. It’s a shame because he has the vision and qualities to do it.
“Pedri plays faster and takes more risks in attack. That’s what you expect from Frenkie.”
