Barcelona's Treble Ambitions: Frenkie De Jong Confident In Team's Capabilities

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Frenkie de Jong believes Barcelona is on the brink of achieving a remarkable feat as they aim for a treble. Currently, Barca leads LaLiga by four points and recently defeated Real Madrid to clinch the Copa del Rey. In an exciting Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter, they managed a 3-3 draw after coming from behind twice.

Wonderkid Lamine Yamal shone brightly during his 100th appearance for Barca, scoring a stunning goal midway through the first half. This helped the team recover from an early 2-0 deficit. Raphinha also played a crucial role, providing his 20th Champions League goal contribution this season by assisting Ferran Torres' equaliser.

Despite Denzel Dumfries scoring twice for Inter, Barca quickly equalised when Raphinha's shot hit the crossbar and bounced off Yann Sommer's back into the net. De Jong expects a tough challenge in the second leg at San Siro but remains optimistic about Hansi Flick's squad securing multiple trophies soon.

"Yeah, this team is very good, we have a lot of energy, we're playing good games," De Jong told TNT Sports. "We feel we have the team to do something special. Hopefully, we can prove that in the coming weeks. We will go for it."

This match marked Barca's 300th Champions League game and was one of only three instances where they scored three or more goals at home without winning. The other two occasions were against Manchester United in November 1998 and Inter in October 2022, both ending 3-3.

"It was a nice game to play; it always is in the Champions League, maybe the semi-finals even more," said De Jong. "Both teams played their heart out." He acknowledged Inter's strength and admitted Barca had a poor start but expressed confidence in their ability to bounce back.

Possession and Performance

Barca dominated possession with 71.5% and attempted 19 shots, accumulating an expected goals value of 1.39. However, their high defensive line left them vulnerable at times, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan nearly scoring a late winner for Inter before being ruled offside.

De Jong sees no need to alter Barca's playing style despite these risks: "It's nice [to play with risk], we want to dominate, to score goals," he said. "Of course, we take some risks, but we get a lot of reward from this."

De Jong's Influence

The Dutch midfielder led his team with 112 touches, attempted 103 passes with 100 being accurate, and created three chances—more than any other player on his team. However, he cautioned against solely relying on statistics to judge his performance.

"I feel good at the moment," De Jong stated. "I don't think it was one of my best games; I think I have a lot more to offer." He emphasised that stats don't always tell the full story but remains optimistic about upcoming matches.