As we’re sure you’re more than aware by now, Andreas Christensen is expected to join Barcelona from Chelsea this summer.
The defender is available on a free transfer as his contract is expiring, and months of negotiations have led him to the Camp Nou.
The deal has not been made official and announced as yet, but it’s seen as a foregone conclusion at this point, with Chelsea needing a miracle to keep him.
In the meantime, the Dane will see out the season at Stamford Bridge, leaving Barcelona fans watching to see what they’ll be getting.
That is something they were doing this week when Chelsea took on Real Madrid, and it seems they were left less than impressed by what Christensen put on display.
AS cover his performance today and say he ‘leaves doubts’ with a display that has left some, including a smart AI, believing there will be no ‘great adaptation’ at Barcelona.
They say that Vinicius Junior ‘overwhelmed’ Christensen in the clash, and while Chelsea’s defeat was not entirely his fault, he was not great either.
Dealing with Vinicius was his biggest issue, and he simply ‘did not know how to stop’ the Brazilian from doing what he liked, such as assisting Karim Benzema.
Christensen, according to the newspaper, is a ‘remarkable central defender’ when it comes to positioning and ball delivery but did not know how to ‘bail the waters’ in the face of a Madrid ‘onslaught’.
He also lacks ‘forcefulness’, and that could be a problem for Barcelona manager Xavi, who is looking for an ‘artist with the ball’ or a ‘greaser of his machinery’.
Christensen will not arrive at the Camp Nou to simply fill a space, but there is a worry he won’t adapt to the way Barcelona want to play.
At this moment in time, he doesn’t replace Ronald Araujo or Eric Garcia, and according to data from Olocip and AI, he would ‘lose steam’ when it comes to building out from the back.
It’s even estimated his market value could drop, although they do believe Barcelona would gain something when it comes to ‘offensive and defensive terms’.
The AI is not ‘optimistic’ about his arrival, though, and even thinks there are players who would be a much better fit, Chelsea teammate Cesar Azpilicueta being one of them.
His performance against Madrid has left plenty with doubts as Christensen showed he is not ‘very good in individual duels’, something which will be a problem for Barcelona when their defence is in the opponent’s half.
There’s obviously a player there, and on a good deal too, but it seems the Chelsea man will be starting life in Spain on the back foot if he continues to struggle as he did in mid-week.
