One of the most heartwarming moments during the celebrations came when senior midfielder Frenkie de Jong called young prospect Tommy Marques to click a picture together with the trophy. It was a nice touch from De Jong, given that the La Masia gem had gone on record a few months ago naming the Dutchman as one of his idols. Flick trusts the 'other Frenkie' Meanwhile, in the background, Pau Cubarsi, who was watching from close by, joked: "Two Frenkies, two Frenkies!"
There were several challenges that caught the eye in the match, not least Raul Asencio's hack on Pedri that resulted in a yellow card for the Real Madrid man. Former referee Iturralde González has analyzed the footage and feels Asencio was lucky to escape with just a booking. "Asencio's challenge on Pedri, in my opinion, is more of a red card than a yellow," he told Carrusel Deportivo.
With the Financial Fair Play overhang still present, the club might resort to the sale of at least one big player in order to generate the margins required to return to the 1:1 rule. For the longest time, Frenkie de Jong had been seen as someone who could leave Barcelona, and the midfielder had even been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in the past. De Jong inquired about Saudi Arabia In a fresh twist, though, Al Ittihad sporting director Ramon Planes has revealed that De Jong has already inquired about life in Saudi Arabia to his national teammate and Al Ittihad player Steven Bergwijn. "Frenkie asked me how I'm doing here," Planes told Catalunya Radio (h/t Mundo Deportivo), citing Al Ittihad player Bergwijn.
The Frenkie de Jong-Pedri pivot has done largely well this season and was the manager's go-to midfield combination at the beginning of the season. The duo excelled in a technical sense and were unplayable through the middle, given their superiority in possession. Notably, both Pedri and De Jong were unavailable when Barcelona last faced Athletic Club. It was the night when the team played their first game back at Spotify Camp Nou, and the Dutchman was suspended while the Canary Islander was injured.
La Roja secured their place in the finals on Tuesday night against Turkey and will likely have a squad packed full of Barca players jetting across the Atlantic for the tournament. Lamine Yamal missed the latest call-up but will be expected to play a key role,
"I didn't see what happened. I was on the bench and saw a lot of people. When the referee blew his whistle, Real Madrid players went after Lamine. It's a bit exaggerated. You'd have to ask them," he told Movistar. "In the first half we weren't sharp with the ball. Madrid hurt with their players up front. In the second half we lacked the ability to create danger and clear chances."
