A nightmare that never ends: Flick puts Barcelona star in an awkward position

A farewell looms on the horizon

Alejandro Balde has hit a dead end at Barcelona. He stayed glued to the bench against Getafe, fresh proof of his slide down the pecking order and of how hard he is finding it to win minutes under Hansi Flick.

Spanish newspaper "AS" report that the Getafe game offered Balde a perfect chance to put his affairs back in order, if any route out of his situation still existed. Flick picked almost every player who had not reported for international duty during the break. Joan Garcia and Eric, back from Wembley without a kick, lined up alongside Gerard Martin, Gavi and Gabriel Jesus in the first eleven.

Xavi Espart had been away with Spain's under-21 side, yet the academy graduate still started.

Balde never got off the bench. He had already spent the whole summer in limbo, with Flick warning him that his standing within the squad had changed and that he could find himself without minutes. The German even left him out of the squad for the Elche match to give him a chance to rethink his situation.

Staying put was Balde's call in the end, perhaps in the hope that circumstances would shift. They did not. He has managed just 12 token minutes against Racing in a game already decided, and he now trails a long way behind Xavi Espart and Joao Cancelo among the options at left-back.

With the winter window approaching, a decision on his future awaits, especially after he failed to sort matters properly with his agent Jorge Mendes last summer.

As things stand, Balde's future does not look like a Barcelona one. That is some fall for a player who hit extremely impressive levels in 2022-2023, when he created 7 goals under Xavi, and again in 2024-2025, when he provided 10 assists under Flick.

Flick staying in the job could make his position harder still, particularly with the player registering 7 fewer assists last season than the one before.