FC Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong was one of the team’s best players against Club Brugge. He played very well against the Belgian side, but defensive issues meant Flick’s men could take only one point from the trip.
Defensively, the team have been all over the place since the beginning of the season. The well-documented high line is not working as it did last season, and shipping three goals against Brugge felt easily avoidable with more application.
After the game, Frenkie spoke and offered a scathing assessment of Barcelona’s defensive performance. As quoted by [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20251105/1002564232/jong-encajas-tres-goles-dificil-ganar.html), he said:
**“It’s a match I believe we should have won, but obviously we need to do things much better. There are things we need to adjust, we know it, we’re working on it, but we don’t always show it on the pitch, and that’s kind of the issue.”**
The 28-year-old went on to highlight what he thinks is the problem:
**“We’re a bit weak on the counterattack due to issues with marking, pressing up front, and how we position ourselves at the back. It’s a bit of everything.”**
When asked to compare to last season, the self-critical Dutchman played down the comparison:
**“We need to leave last year behind. Also, last year we weren’t the best team in Europe either, so last year isn’t really… we need to improve. We didn’t win the Champions League and we conceded a lot of goals last year too, so we have to get better.”**
Finally, Frenkie reiterated the bottom line:
**“It’s not all about not conceding, but if you let in three goals, it’s very hard to win.”**
Frenkie has always been self-critical. He is not happy with how the team are playing, much like most fans, and he does not mince his words in the media. He is absolutely right that improvements are needed. Let us hope Flick can make the team play better in the coming weeks.