Franck Kessié – the man who offers the ideal solution to a number of problems for Barcelona’s midfield

Massimo Drago, the former Cesena coach under whom the Ivorian midfielder made his debut in the 2015/2016 season, has no doubts about Franck Kessié’s future. So far, unofficially, he is expected to be the first reinforcement of the Catalan big club for the upcoming season. So let’s take a look at why and, more importantly, how he could fit into Xavi Hernandez’s team.

Under the guidance of Milan head coach Stefano Pioli, Frank Kessié has been in top form. We can say with a clear conscience that he is one of the best players in his position. Xavi, however, can still tap into the additional potential that the player himself offers. Many of the Barcelona fans have conflicting feelings about this possible signing.

For one, Kessié is not coming in as a primary replacement for Sergio Busquets. Clearly, he is a top box-to-box midfielder who is strong and dominant defensively. His scoring chances will add a new dimension to the attack,. On the other hand, he’s not a midfielder who can deal with a nasty challenge. He tries to play under pressure, which is why he loses a lot of balls. That’s a very brief summary of the 25-year-old.

Let’s go back to the aforementioned Massimo Drago. In an interview with the Catalan daily Sport, he introduced this footballer, who will probably move to Barcelona as a free agent in the coming weeks.

Franck arrived at just 19 years old to Cesena on loan in the Italian second league. He was one of Atalanta’s many talents. He always operated in the centre of defence before the coach realised he had all the qualities to shine in the midfield.

“At Barcelona I see him in the No. 8 position rather than as a defensive midfielder for Busquets.”

Franck was initially only the fifth central defender. Just another young talent who should have been given a chance to get a few minutes on the pitch to better adapt to Italian football. However, Kessié surprised everyone and soon became the team leader with 37 games and 4 goals in Serie B for the 2015/2016 season.

“He lacked the concentration to be a good stopper. It was very difficult to overcome him in one-on-one duels. In addition, he had personality, used his time on the pitch, abounded in technique and refereed matches,” Massimo Drago revealed.

Kessié moved to the midfield for the next few games, where he tried out almost every role. Although he could play as a defensive midfielder, he was much better in the No. 8 position. “He is a box-to-box midfielder who can defend and attack with the same passion throughout the game,” continued the 51-year-old coach. Despite his excellent physical build, he can handle the ball in a few yards of space.

There is a lot of talk in Barcelona that he could be the successor to Sergio Busquets. “I see him in Xavi’s 4-3-3 formation alongside Busquets or another withdrawn midfielder. In that position, Franck could score eight or more goals a season for Barça,” said the former Italian defender.

He has grown a lot during his seven seasons in Italy and at 25 years old, he shows great promise for the future. “Franck has the level, quality and experience to play in Barcelona’s starting line-up. Just like in all the other big clubs in the world,” the Calabria-born coach praised.

Kessié has already said goodbye to his teammates and fans after winning the league title with AC Milan. If he does indeed head to the Catalan capital, he will be an exceptional signing for the team, as he will come as a free agent. He will undoubtedly raise the level of the team that Xavi is now gradually putting together according to his plans.

The fighter with 204 starts in the Italian Serie A could be the right man to add to the pair of Sergio Busquets and Pedri in midfield. If he is given priority over Frenkie de Jong, he will play a very similar role. He will have no problem getting back between defenders, bringing the ball out and simply setting up the attack.

As far as short passes are concerned, Kessié has a success rate of just over 90%. Like the Dutch international, he can move in a lot of space and charge into the penalty area, although we can’t expect him to be as explosive.

If we talk about the success rate of passes into the penalty area he is at something around 75%. However, let’s keep in mind that a club like AC Milan is generally not taken as offensively as the Catalan big club. Here, he will have many more chances to make those passes. Furthermore, he is not afraid to attack high and fast, which is one of his strongest points.

The Ivory Coast representative doesn’t have any significant numbers in terms of balls won or stolen. His game is all about forcing attacking players to go back a few metres and try to start the action again. Simply put, he can act as a buffer to give Pedri and Busquets the space to attack more.

Let’s face it, the 33-year-old mainstay of both Barcelona and the Spanish national team is no longer the most agile player who builds on his speed. However, he could get space for his unexpected and millimetre passes in the opponents’ half. A completely ideal formation for Kessié would be the 4-2-3-1 that AC Milan play with.

Here he is at left defensive midfielder. At Barcelona, he could have Frenkie de Jong alongside him and Pedri could concentrate only on attacking duties. We’ll take his duties from Stefano Pioli’s team. Here, he sets up attacks by retreating into defence and forming a three with the stoppers. He either sends the ball back with a simple pass or carries it into the middle of the pitch himself.

Xavi attempted a similar tactic at the start of his time at Barcelona. When the defensive midfielder blended with the central defenders and the formation turned into a 3-4-3. If that’s how the team wanted to play, using attacking central defenders, up the flanks, then Kessié could take care of plugging the open spaces on the edges of the pitch.

Jordi Alba in particular could benefit from this on the left. It is important to mention that Kessié can play very decently with his left foot. A skill that none of Barça’s midfielders can offer right now. If Xavi decides to change the formation to 3-5-2, Franck would become the only defensive midfielder. Logically, he would have de Jong and Pedri by his side. We’re talking about a withdrawn midfielder, but one that wouldn’t even remotely resemble the play of Sergio Busquets.

It’s clear from this text that Franck Kessié really has a lot of options to fit ideally into Xavi’s lineup. Changes in formation and playing duties should certainly not be a problem for him. Either way, it will be important for him to adapt. Regardless, the man from Ivory Coast has enough qualities to handle his role at Barcelona. Either a member of the starting line-up or the more likely option – a quality alternative off the bench.

Source: Twitter