A fresh chance to convince Flick: Barcelona star handed a lifeline from the heart of El Clasico
He refused to leave last summer
Barcelona's latest crisis has handed a lifeline to one of their own, a player who came close to leaving the Catalan club. Now he has a fresh chance to prove himself and change the narrative.
Another blow has struck Barcelona before they resume their La Liga campaign. Xavi Espart will be out for close to seven weeks after injuring his right ankle in the Clasico against Real Madrid, a game Los Blancos won 2-1.
According to "Mundo Deportivo", Espart's injury and lengthy absence will hand Alejandro Balde (23) a second chance.
Flick left Balde out of his plans last summer, but the academy graduate turned down offers from Manchester United and others in a bid to make it at the Camp Nou.
Ahead of the opening round, the coach issued a warning in a press conference: "I spoke with Alejandro Balde this morning. I think he is not fully ready, and he is not here, so I decided to keep him at Barcelona." He added: "I asked him to think about it and clear his mind. We will talk again tomorrow."
Ten rounds on, with Espart and Eric Garcia sidelined and doubts over Jules Kounde, who trained apart from the group again yesterday, Flick may finally give him another chance.
Balde was on the pitch during the Clasico the moment Espart went down injured after a collision with Tchouameni half an hour in. He could now start against Alaves next Saturday.
5 months of absence from the starting line-up
Should he feature, Balde may reclaim his place in the starting line-up after more than five months out, with Cancelo shifting to the right or perhaps Brian Farinas stepping in.
His last start came on 23 May, in Barcelona's final La Liga match at the Mestalla, with the title already won.
Barcelona lost that one 3-1, with Balde playing the full 90. Since then in La Liga, he missed the squad for the opening round and sat as an unused substitute in seven matches. Then came a full 60 minutes against Real Madrid last Sunday.
Beyond that, Balde managed only 12 minutes in the emphatic 7-2 win over Racing Santander at the Camp Nou, plus 16 minutes at the Parc des Princes against Paris Saint-Germain.
His future before the winter transfer window remains unclear. If he is to change his situation, he must rediscover his best against Alaves next Saturday and convince Flick all over again.
