Frank De Boer was one of the main names in Van Gaal’s Barça at the beginning of the century. Also, one of the main stars ever in Dutch football, the third most-capped player for the Netherlands, he spoke in a recent interview with Blaugranagram’s partner, Flashscore, about Barça, Lamine Yamal and the World Cup, among other topics.
De Boer enjoyed watching Barcelona play this season. ” They’ve played in a very entertaining way, also with Lamine and Raphinha. Well, with Raphinha not as much as last year, but Pedri is in incredible form for me. He’s one of the best players in the world and plays very well. I love how Dani Olmo is developing now, and Gavi is back. I’ve really enjoyed watching Barca.”
When asked if it’s possible to win the Champions League playing with Hansi Flick’s offensive style, De Boer explains “I don’t know, it depends. When everything is at 100%, it can work. But when someone fails in that system, it’s very dangerous. Everyone has to be very focused, at 100%. If not, it’s very difficult to play so high up the pitch. But people also want to see attractive football. I think that’s the most important thing. And with Barcelona, you usually go to enjoy yourself.”
The Dutchman does not think Spain is a favourite in this World Cup, and that the Spanish team depends heavily on Lamine Yamal’s form, “I think it depends on how Lamine Yamal does. They don’t have a striker, just like us. They play the typical Spanish football, and it’s true that for every country, playing against them is very difficult. But I don’t think they are big favourites for me right now. And it also depends on Lamine Yamal, whether he can play or not, because he’s a player who can make the difference.”
