It's been five months since Alejandro Balde played meaningful minutes, but the Spaniard suddenly found himself in a major role for Barcelona once again on Sunday. Xavi Espart picked up an injury after just half an hour in El Clásico, and, with Jules Koundé and Eric García sidelined, João Cancelo was forced to move to the right. On came Balde, who now found himself in a familiar place.
The 23-year-old left-back had a solid performance in the 2-1 loss. He did have one crucial intervention to prevent Kylian Mbappé from scoring on a one-on-one with Joan García, and while he wasn't exactly dominant in defense, he did enough. Balde did, at times, look a little out of sync with the attack, but that's to be expected with his lack of minutes. He completed all 29 passes that he attempted.
In recent months, Balde has seemed destined for an exit. The left-back was left out of the squad for Barcelona's La Liga opener, a 5-0 win over Elche, and has yet to start a game in any competition. Hansi Flick has seemingly questioned Balde's commitment in the past, and multiple clubs were linked with a move, but ultimately nothing materialized, leaving him stranded on the bench for much of the season.
It seems that could be a blessing in disguise for Flick and Barcelona. Had Balde not been on the bench when Espart went down, Barcelona may have been forced to use a midfielder in defense, likely either Rodri or Frenkie de Jong, or given another youngster the biggest test of their lives. Instead, Balde, who, despite his young age, has made 171 appearances for the Blaugrana, was ready to step in.
It doesn't look like he'll be kicked back to the sideline immediately. Espart is expected to miss around seven weeks after his injury, while Koundé, García, and Andreas Christensen are not fully fit yet, either. That leaves Flick with limited options. He has just four healthy players in defense: Cancelo, Gerard Martín, Pau Cubarsí, and Balde. Just like that, Balde has become very important.
This isn't the first time that this has happened. Balde was only 17 when he made his first team debut, replacing Jordi Alba in a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in September 2021 in the Champions League. Less than a week later, he made his first start in La Liga, but injuries would heavily disrupt his first season. The following season, though, he surpassed Alba, becoming a regular starter and eventually earning a spot in Spain's World Cup squad in Qatar.
The fall has been just as quick as the rise. It's not entirely Balde's fault, either, as various injuries have led to lengthy spells on the sideline. Last year, after starting six of Barcelona's opening eight games in the Champions League, the left-back missed both matches against Newcastle United in the Round of 16. He recovered for the Quarter-finals, but played just four minutes as Barcelona crashed out to Atlético Madrid.
This season, Balde has been surpassed by both youth and experience. After a strong preseason, Espart has solidified himself as the regular starter on the left in La Liga, although he has played on the right when needed. Cancelo, who has spent most of his career on the right, joined in the summer on a permanent deal and has become favored by Flick on the left for the Champions League and big La Liga clashes.
With Espart's injury, though, the likely outcome is that Cancelo moves back over to right-back, while Balde takes over as the starting left-back. It's not necessarily the ideal pairing, however. Cancelo has played on the left to utilize his ability going forward, while a more defensive option has usually been paired on the right. Balde, who actually finished with fewer defensive contributions than Espart in El Clásico, is not a defensive-minded player.
This, combined with Flick's other concerns, shows why Barcelona were reportedly willing to part with Balde in the summer. Now, he gets one more chance to show the German that he's wrong and that he still can be a valuable player for Barcelona. It certainly isn't the ideal situation for Balde to succeed, but he may not get another one.
Add us as a preferred source on Google