XAVI SET TO STOP BARCELONA CAPTAIN FOR VILLARREAL CLASH

It’s safe to say that Sergio Busquets’ struggles in a Barcelona shirt have been evident, more so than ever this season. In the Catalan giants’ 3-1 defeat in the latest El Clasico, especially, the veteran midfielder was far from his best. For Karim Benzema’s opener, the World Cup winner was unable to stop Toni Kroos in his tracks, who slipped in a pass for Vinicius Jr., whose initial shot led to the Frenchman scoring the rebound.

Many have even suggested that the World Cup winner was out of position for Los Blancos’ second goal, as Fede Valverde was given the license to strike the ball from outside the ball as he was nowhere to be seen to mop things up. After a culmination of poor showings, Sergio Busquets is set not to be Xavi’s first-choice defensive midfielder, with Frenkie de Jong being handed the responsibility instead, as per journalist Javi Miguel.

The 34-year-old was especially dreadful in Barcelona’s 3-3 draw against Inter Milan as well recently, which gives the manager no choice but to look for alternatives to play the role for the present and the future. On the contrary, Frenkie de Jong was perhaps his side’s finest player against the Italian side, when he replaced Busquets off the bench.
The Dutch international’s ability to drive from deep and cover significantly more yards, while also being an elite technician, makes him the ideal player in the squad to operate as the number six. Considering there is plenty of speculation around Sergio Busquets leaving the Camp Nou next term, Xavi may be well-placed to find a succession plan for the time being. If Frenkie de Jong fails to be the apt successor, the club legend will realise that the answer lies in the summer transfer window.