It seems like Hansi Flick has managed to get the best out of many of his Barcelona players this season. In fact, the German coach has managed to assemble a team that is capable of even taking on historic records under his mentorship. Fortunately for Barcelona, Flick’s arrival seems to have been the catalyst that they so desperately needed.
With players like Raphinha and Pedri becoming game-changers for Barcelona either through a newfound consistency or even by finding the solution to previous injury problems, this team has evolved in a lot of different ways. Thanks to Hansi Flick and his team, each and every player seems to have found their missing piece.
The same can also be said for 21-year-old Spanish left-back Alejandro Balde, who has definitely showcased his improvement this season, especially since his UEFA Champions League game against Brest back in November of last year. Despite initially having his starting place he questioned, the player has completely turned his situation around.
While his offensive talent and quality remains undeniable, his defensive improvement is where the statistics showcase a very evident improvement. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, the statistics clearly showcase an improvement in Balde’s game this season since that game against Brest.
Prior to that UCL encounter, Balde had played 15 games in total and spent the games against Villarreal, Celta Vigo, and Red Star Belgrade on the bench. After the game against Brest, however, the player has only missed games against UD Barbastro and Real Betis in the Copa del Rey, and has become a guarantee for Hansi Flick as a regular starter.
In the 1176 minutes he played before the game against Brest, the player had made a total of 28 quick recoveries. Now, in the 1192 minutes since that game, he has made 39 quick recoveries. Even in terms of total recoveries, he has 86 in the current stretch of his season compared to 76 made in the previous one before that fateful game for him.
In terms of one-on-one duels, the Barcelona left-back has showcased an increase in his efficiency and effectiveness. Jumping from a 50% success rate to a 77.78% success rate, there is a clear improvement in the player’s ability to thwart the player that he is marking. Overall, compared to last season, his defensive duels won per game have gone up from 2.59 to 3.57 as well, improving his overall win rate from 59.63% to 67.11%.
Compared to other La Liga fullbacks, he is among the top ten when it comes to defensive duels won, surpassing even his Barcelona teammate Jules Kounde, who has a win rate of 60% compared to Balde’s 67.11%.
However, even offensively, the Barcelona left-back’s quality remains elite. He has 145 runs down the wing this season, which is 43.5% more than what he had last season under Xavi Hernandez. Thanks to Hansi Flick’s tactical set-up, Balde now has more freedom to actually run down the flank rather than just stay up.
For assists per 90 minutes, he is also among the top four across La Liga. Only three other players surpass his average of 0.21 assists per game. However, Balde has also shown an ability to step up for Barcelona in big games when he needs to.
Against Athletic Club in the Spanish Super Cup, he gave an assist, and then scored a goal against Real Madrid in the final of the competition as well. Even against Valencia in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, he provided assists for other teammates.
