“Slightly more organized”, “Clear positive” - Barcelona fans feel 27-year-old’s performance against Alaves could prevent club from chasing transfer
Barcelona fans were left pleasantly surprised by Andreas Christensen's performance in their 3-1 win against Deportivo Alaves today (February 3).
The Blaugrana played the last twenty minutes with 10 men after Vitor Roque was controversially sent off for two bookable offenses. Christensen was tasked with helping Xavi's side see out an important win which they did.
Robert Lewandowski (22'), Ilkay Gundogan (49') and Roque (63') were on target for Barcelona. Spanish forward Samu Omorodion hit back for Alaves (51').
It was an important victory for the Catalan giants as it kept them in the hunt for the La Liga title. They have risen to third for the time being, seven points behind leaders Real Madrid after 23 games having played a game more.
There were some impressive performances on display from several Barca stars, and Christensen was one of them. The Danish defender played as a makeshift midfielder on the night.
The Dane won two of five ground duels, made two tackles, and helped out with two clearances. It's been somewhat of a difficult season for the former Chelsea defender amid speculation over his future.
Recent reports claim Manchester United and Newcastle United are monitoring his situation at Barcelona. He's fallen behind the likes of Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and Inigo Martinez in the Blaugrana's defensive pecking order.
However, his showing tonight is one that left fans pondering whether the club should retain him.
One fan feels Barca were slightly more comfortable with Christensen playing in holding midfield:
"We look slightly more organized."
Another fan gave an analysis of how the Dane allowed patterns to open up:
"Christensen (at defensive midfield) is a clear positive - not because of the player himself, but because of the liberating consequences it has on the interiors - and the first to notice it is none other than Gündogan. Just opens a whole range of patterns to use/occupy space."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Christensen's performance against Alaves:
Barcelona reportedly name their price for Andreas Christensen
Christensen may have impressed in tonight's win against Alaves but his future with Barca is still uncertain. As mentioned, he has interest from the Premier League amid a lack of first-team opportunities this season.
According to Fichajes (via The Hard Tackle), Barcelona have slapped a €60 million price tag on Christensen. He has two years left on his contract with the La Liga giants and has been with them since July 2022.
It's claimed that Christensen wants to be recognized as an undisputed first-choice center-back in Xavi's side. He's made 26 appearances across competitions this season with one assist to his name.