Memphis and De Jong show that they're on the same wavelength

Barça's 1-1 draw at San Mamés was largely disappointing, just one week on from their promising opening day victory against Real Sociedad. More so for the performance than for the result, as a point away at Athletic Club can never be considered a bad one. However, Barça were unable to create enough chances to argue that they deserved to come home with three points, and struggled throughout the game to cope with Athletic's high press. The biggest positives were the leadership and personality demonstrated by Memphis and Frenkie de Jong, who showed on more than one occasion that they are on the same wavelength.

It's no secret that Frenkie was delighted with the signing of the ex-Lyon forward. Having played together on many occasions for the Dutch national side, they know each other very well - both on and off the pitch. In fact, De Jong is playing a key role in helping the forward settle into life at FC Barcelona.

The pair showed that they are on the same wavelength in last night's encounter, with Memphis knowing where to run whenever Frenkie found himself on the ball. The back-and-forth nature of the tie highlighted the vertical capacity of both players. In fact, few players are better suited to games in which neither side manages to take full control of the ball. However, Barça should be wary of falling into this trap, as most of their players are better suited to dominating possession.

Frenkie had to work hard to keep the ball, particularly during the first hour of the match. Athletic Club short-circuited Barça in the first part of the game, meaning Memphis was forced to drop deep into non-dangerous areas. Despite this, good things happened every time Depay got on the ball. The problem for the striker is that he seems to link up best with Frenkie de Jong, which doesn't speak well of his fellow attackers, Griezmann and Braithwaite.

Near the end of the game, De Jong sent a magnificent lobbed effort onto the top of the crossbar before Memphis ripped a left-footed shot into the top of the net to draw Barça level. While Koeman still has lots of issues to address, he can trust Memphis and Frenkie to pull the strings going forward.