Balde the only positive for Barcelona in Bayern Munich defeat
Alejandro Balde was the only Barcelona player who impressed in Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
Barcelona endured a terrible evening on Wednesday, following up confirmation of their Champions League elimination by suffering a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou. However, one man in a Blaugrana shirt rose above the mediocrity shown by the home side, offering cause for optimism in generally dreary circumstances: left-back Alejandro Balde.
Balde emerges as Barcelona’s No. 1 at No. 3
Balde proved that he’s ready to perform at the highest level. The 19-year-old largely took charge of the left flank, catching the eye with a performance that illustrated the pace and power he possesses.
Indeed, AS understands that head coach Xavi Hernández congratulated Balde on his display after the final whistle. Barça’s coaching team have been left so impressed by the youth product that he has now established himself as the club’s first-choice left-back, ahead of the experienced Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso.
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That doesn’t mean he’s going to start every game, though: Xavi will continue to rotate his players to avoid overloading their bodies. However, it does mean that Balde leads the pecking order when it comes to selection for the biggest games.
It’s therefore very possible that the defender will keep his place in the Barça team for this weekend’s LaLiga clash with Valencia, despite the trip to Mestalla coming just 72 hours on from the Bayern game. He seems unlikelier to start the Catalans’ final Champions League group fixture, against Viktoria Plzen next Tuesday. He’s a chief candidate to be rested for the match in the Czech Republic.