‘People think being a Barcelona defender is easy'

Vermaelen enjoyed his first real run in the Barca side since joining the club from Arsenal back in 2014 before Christmas playing eight games in a row for the first time in five years and whilst he did recently suffer a muscle strain this one is nothing serious and should not keep him out for very long at all.

Speaking to English publication 'The Guardian', the Belgian international was keen to point out that being a defender for one of the best teams in the world isn't as easy as many think.

“When a club comes you always look at how they play; for me it wouldn’t be good to join a team that just plays long balls,” he explained. “You look at the philosophy and make sure it’s a match.

“People have a bit of a wrong view of defenders in Barcelona because they think: ‘Ah it’s an easy job, they only attack, attack, attack’ but the demands are very high.

"Playing in the other team’s half doesn’t just happen by itself. It’s because we keep them under constant pressure. If you let them come on to you, we will be under pressure so you push up, push up, push up, every time. That means you have 50 metres at your back and that’s not always easy. Nor is playing out from the back. Sometimes it would just be easier to kick it forward and that’s it, but that’s not our way, and it’s a bit more enjoyable to play.

“I’m used to playing out from the back but still there are things that are different here from my previous clubs. It’s a bit … I don’t know the word … advanced.”