Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong didn’t seem too pleased with being substituted in the metropolis derby towards Espanyol on Saturday afternoon.
Having been out of favour at the begin of the season following a summer season switch saga, De Jong was beginning a seventh consecutive La Liga sport after cementing himself again in Xavi’s plans.
De Jong was on the pitch for 83 minutes at Camp Nou. But Barça have been nonetheless being held, with Marcos Alonso’s early purpose cancelled out by a Joselu penalty. Both groups have been additionally down to 10 gamers, however the Catalans would have felt they have been in the ascendancy needing to chase the win.
De Jong admitted to LaLiga TV after the sport that he was stunned to have come off when he did, however stated it was ‘the coach’s resolution’ with an obvious air of frustration.
The draw was disappointing in additional methods than one for Barça. Not solely did they fail to safe native bragging rights, it implies that the calendar ends with Real Madrid degree pegging on 38 factors.
Victory over Espanyol would have meant no less than beginning 2023 with a two-point cushion heading into the second half of the season and searching to wrestle again a primary La Liga title since 2019.