After what could be termed as a rather difficult start to his new life in Barcelona, summer signing Andreas Christensen has now settled well, playing full 90 minutes in three of Barcelona’s last four outings across all competitions.
He has put in commanding displays in recent matches, with the away game against Atletico Madrid perhaps being the Dane’s best performance in the Barcelona shirt.
Lining up alongside Ronald Araujo in central defence, the former Chelsea defender ended the game with the most passes completed (86). Add to it, he also had the second-most touches from either team (100) and also made the second-most ball recoveries (nine).
A few days later when Barcelona took on Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final, Dane’s defensive partner was changed to Jules Kounde as Araujo was tasked to take care of Vinicius Jr on the right. And, the 26-year-old once again stood tall in a crucial encounter.
Christensen has been one of those players who has gone under the radar this season mostly because of the fact that he moved to Barcelona from Chelsea as a free agent, meaning that the expectations were not as high.
What is interesting, however, is how he marked his exit from Chelsea after coming close to signing a new contract two years ago.
According to The Athletic, a source close to the player told the outlet that the player was, in fact, happy living in London. But towards the end of his Chelsea tenure, he began to receive signals that he is not appreciated enough by the club.
This is when Barcelona swooped in. Before signing for the Blaugrana, the player spoke to Xavi twice via a video call where the latter tried to convince the defender. By this time, he began to feel that Chelsea were doubting his ability and saw him as someone who cannot handle high pressure.
This is why he decided to make a move as he felt he would be given more importance at Barcelona, after having spoken to Xavi twice.
The report claims that Xavi’s calls made it clear how much Barcelona wanted to bring him to Camp Nou. Along with that the club’s project and the 42-year-old’s style of football all convinced Christensen to make the jump from London to Catalonia.
The Danish international had a rather slow start, but the 26-year-old has now established himself as one of the key members of the team.
Calm in defence, and excellent with the ball at his feet, Christensen is establishing himself as a permanent fixture in the Barcelona backline.
As Xavi said in a recent press conference: “Surely the signing of Christensen has been less highlighted, but he has been extraordinary. I remember when people said that Real Madrid signed Chelsea’s starting centre-back and we signed the substitute.”
