In the third round of La Liga, Barcelona faced Rayo Vallecano. The team’s 17-year-old youngster, Bernal, was injured during a challenge towards the end of the match. Subsequent medical examinations revealed that Bernal had torn his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and suffered damage to his lateral meniscus.
Sports journalist Luo Ming wrote that, to some extent, Bernal’s absence would be more critical for Barcelona than the absences of De Jong, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, or even the departed Gundogan.
Luo Ming posted on social media: “For example, De Jong has played as a holding midfielder in a double pivot system for Ajax and the Dutch national team, but De Jong has never been able to meet Xavi’s standards as a single holding midfielder. Xavi believes that De Jong’s positional sense and passing ability from the holding midfield role need further improvement to be suitable for this position.”
The journalist added: “Last season, Barcelona introduced the holding midfielder, Romeu, who came from La Masia. He possessed this tactical awareness, but due to Romeu’s weaker running ability and relatively clumsy ball control making him prone to being dispossessed, he was also removed from the starting lineup midway through the season.”