New footage from Barcelona’s 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid has revealed Alejandro Balde’s reaction after he learned that coach Hansi Flick had moved Frenkie de Jong to right-back during the second half.
Barcelona ground out a valuable victory at the Metropolitano, but the match also produced a telling moment on the Catalan bench that only came to light two days later.
Flick caught his players off guard by fielding De Jong at right-back. He leaned on the Dutch midfielder’s experience and tactical reading to address the team’s problems down the right flank.
According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, the DAZN cameras caught a conversation between Flick and De Jong before the substitution. The German coach walked over and asked whether his player was ready to fill in at right-back. De Jong accepted the task with a smile and raised no objection.
The news spread quickly once De Jong passed it on to his team-mates. He told Gavi and Wojciech Szczesny that he would be playing on the right of the defense, and both reacted with disbelief. Tonkara even had to explain the situation to Alex Campos, while several players followed the exchange closely to catch the details of the surprise call.
Balde’s reaction
Alejandro Balde witnessed the whole exchange. The left-back kept a serious expression throughout De Jong’s explanation of his new role, appearing to wonder why the coach had passed him over.
What was going through Balde’s mind remains unclear. The moment nonetheless carried extra weight given his recent situation, as his standing in the German coach’s plans has slipped. Speculation about his future has swirled for weeks, with his name linked to a possible exit from Barcelona in the winter transfer window.
A gamble that paid off
Flick, meanwhile, showed once again that he is willing to shuffle his players into unfamiliar positions. He trusted De Jong’s ability and experience to handle the right-back role against Atletico Madrid.
The decision worked. Barcelona left the Metropolitano with three points, and the gamble also produced one of the most widely shared moments from the Catalan bench.