The first international break of the season is a real disrupter for all sorts of reasons, but it does give every player a chance to further dust off the cobwebs as they ease into the season.
Barca haven’t had the best of starts, and a lot more was expected of Frenkie de Jong, however, there have been mitigating circumstances for the Dutchman.
For a start, he’s not been played in his rightful position under Ernesto Valverde thus far. Like many other players have found to their cost over the past few seasons, De Jong is being shoe-horned into the side to allow others a role.