Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to react as Alejandro Balde has been left on the bench by Hansi Flick for Barcelona’s LaLiga clash against Alavés.
Barcelona will look to bounce back from their loss against Real Madrid last week as they take on the 7th-place team in LaLiga, Alavés, at the Spotify Camp Nou. The loss against Madrid was their first domestic loss of the season.
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Hansi Flick also has a lot of injuries to contend with, especially in the backline. Xavi Espart came off injured in the loss to Los Blancos. Jules Koundé, Andreas Christensen, and Eric García are also out with injuries.
Joan García starts in goal, João Cancelo and debutant Brian Fariñas are set to play as full-backs. Pau Cubarsí is set to be partnered by Frenkie de Jong in the middle of defence.
Rodri is joined by Pedri in the midfield pivot, with Fermín López playing in the No. 10 role. Karim Adeyemi, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha make up the front 3 for the Catalan club in their clash against Alavés.
Gabriel Jesus, Anthony Gordon and Gavi are options off the bench for Hansi Flick’s side for the clash tonight.
Fans have taken to X to express their surprise at Alejandro Balde’s absence from the starting eleven. After Espart’s injury, it was expected that Balde would fill the gap and Cancelo would switch over to right-back. Flick has decided to give Fariñas his debut ahead of playing Balde in his natural position.
One fan claimed Flick’s treatment of Balde was disrespectful and that, if they were in the Spanish defender’s position, they’d look to leave the club in January:
A second fan was surprised Fariñas was ahead of Balde in the pecking order:
A third fan echoed the same sentiment:
Some of the other reactions are as follows:
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick claims Alejandro Balde isn’t at his best
A day before the game against Alavés, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick claimed Balde was not at his best, and he needs more confidence to do what he is demanding. Speaking in a presser, Flick said (via Yahoo Sports):
“Balde doesn’t have the confidence he needs to play, the conviction to attack and press high. The full-backs are very important for us, in our style of play. He needs confidence to reach his best level.”
Barcelona are currently second in the La Liga table with 27 points, one behind Atlético Madrid. They will move back to the top of the league if they draw or win against Alavés.
Edited by Vignesh Raja
