Barcelona defender will go through intense tactical sessions to improve | OneFootball

Icon: Barca Universal

Barca Universal

·7 December 2021

Barcelona defender will go through intense tactical sessions to improve

Article image:Barcelona defender will go through intense tactical sessions to improve

Sergino Dest made his first start under new manager Xavi Hernandez this past weekend when Barcelona took on Real Betis at Camp Nou.

The USMNT international has been struggling with a lower back issue all season which has limited his game-time. But, now fully fit, Xavi decided to hand him a start ahead of Oscar Mingueza on Saturday, a decision that did not pay off.


OneFootball Videos


Apart from a couple of occasions when he used his recovery pace to stop attacks, Dest had a poor showing against Los Verdiblancos, struggling at both ends of the pitch.

While his defensive nous and abilities have been in question for some time, the former Ajax man could not impact the proceedings going forward either, failing to link up with Nico Gonzalez and Abde Ezzalzouli on the right-side channel. Some of the right-back’s decision-making raised eyebrows, while the end product lacked quality.

Things seemed to improve slightly after the half-time break, but the overall display was nowhere near the required levels. Furthermore, Dest also failed to react quickly enough for the goal that Betis scored to win the game.

And, as per Diario AS, the Barcelona coaching staff were also left unimpressed by the 21-year-old’s display. They are now planning to have detailed talks with the young defender and put him through intense tactical training sessions so as to get across the responsibilities that come with his role and make Dest understand what is expected of him tactically.

The ex-Ajax starlet will need to absorb the tactical lessons from the coaches quickly as he will have to compete with Dani Alves for a starting berth from January. The Brazilian is fit and familiar with the philosophies that Xavi is trying to introduce while being extra motivated to make it to the Brazil World Cup squad for next year.

Dest has a number of positive attributes in his game. And under the right guidance, if he is able to address the chinks in his armour, he can develop into an important player at Camp Nou. It is now up to him to put the hard yards in and try to adapt to the demands placed on him by the coaching staff.

View publisher imprint