National team manager heaps praises on Barcelona defender: “One of the best in his position”

Denmark national team head coach Kasper Hjulmand has said that Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen is one of the best players in his position.

Speaking ahead of his side’s UEFA Euro qualifiers against Finland and Kazakhstan, Hjulmand spoke at length about how Christensen has grown from being a lanky centre-back to becoming a master of tactical nuances.

“Andreas is among the best in that position if he isn’t the best,” Hjulmand was quoted as saying by Diario AS. 

“If I were in a club and had to choose a centre-back, I would choose him. And now he has come to a team where you really appreciate the way he plays that position.”

Hjulmand, 50, added that the Barça defender knows how to fix things from the back. During his initial years as a professional, Christensen struggled to challenge his opponents physically but that is not the case anymore. Speaking about the same, Hjulmand added:

“You feel good when you see how Christensen reads the game in a defensive situation and gets the ball moving, instead of punting it far or wide. 

“He fixes things and they appreciate that on the field. He gets credit for the way he interprets the centre-back position. In other places, he could flaunt a wild tackle or head clearance, but he knows how to do those things too.”

Competition at Barcelona for the centre-back position is extremely high. Right now the likes of Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo and Marcos Alonso have been deployed in the middle and out wide but what is, indeed, consistent is the position of Christensen.

While the trio continues to fight for a stable space, Christensen has made the centre-back spot his own and Hjulmand believes that although there is still scope for improvement, he is performing at a very high level.

“Andreas is feeling more and more comfortable, and it shows. He is growing, also as a person. I can say that he is in a very good moment, both as a player and as a person. 

“He performs at a very, very high level, and the crazy thing is, I think there’s more to it. He can still further develop his game from him, also with our team,” he concluded.