Barcelona full-back finally recovers his best version again | OneFootball

FC Barcelona has been arguably the team to watch when it comes to European football this season. So far, they have managed to look impressive in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. However, much of the credit for this surreal improvement at Barcelona has to go to Hansi Flick.

The German coach arrived in the summer and took over from Xavi Hernandez. Since then, he has been working extensively on the team’s structure and new philosophy, as well as ensuring that he gets the most out of each and every single player on his team.

Players like Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Marc Casado are just a few of the names that have benefitted from Flick’s arrival. However, there is one other name that has also enjoyed the German’s input and has seemingly benefited from his tactical plans and man-management.

That player is Alejandro Balde, and as per SPORT, he has now fully recovered from any lingering issues with his injury and has found his best form again. Last seen early on during Xavi’s reign as head coach, Balde has since been desperately trying to find this efficient version of himself.

Now, however, he seems to have done just that. Against Real Madrid, every single evidence that was needed to prove this was found as well. Running up and down the left flank, the Spaniard was crucial in helping Barcelona both offensively and defensively.

Having been criticized in the past for his defensive awareness and positioning, the player has clearly worked on it and it helped him lock down both Lucas Vasquez and Jude Bellingham when Barcelona ended up thrashing Los Blancos 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the last game.

In attack, he was also quite important. The second goal that Barcelona scored through Robert Lewandowski’s header was made possible by an inch-perfect cross from a rampant Balde who made the right run and then delivered an even better cross to the Polish ace.

Even in terms of consistency, Balde has featured in 13 out of the 14 games that Barcelona have played this season. Moreover, he started most of those games and only came off the bench in two of them. The likes of Gerard Martin and Hector Fort are available as back-up options, but they are unable to overtake Balde in any way.

Last season, Joao Cancelo’s presence was a true test for the Spanish fullback, but he could not even get to challenge him properly due to an unfortunate injury in January that cut his season short. Now, however, Balde has fully recovered and his excellent performances continue to be a blessing for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.