FC Barcelona have made a dream start to their La Liga campaign and to the Hansi Flick era with four wins out of four games. Their last game before the international break was a 7-0 thumping of Real Valladolid that was so much fun to watch.
‘Fun’ is the word one would use to describe Flick’s Barcelona so far. The German manager has veered away from the traditional possession-based game and has made the Catalan team intense, direct but precise, and very attack-minded in nature.
This style of play perfectly suits the players in the Barcelona squad currently. One player who seems to have been born to play in Flick’s system is Alejandro Balde who is having fun on the left flank so far this season.
Coming back from a long injury lay-off, the 20-year-old has picked up from where he left off. Playing a role reminiscent of Alphonso Davies in Flick’s system, Balde keeps bombarding up and down the pitch for the 90 minutes.
In an interview with Tot Costa (h/t SPORT) yesterday, Balde discussed various topics. He praised Mbappe but admitted that Barcelona is more enjoyable to watch than Real Madrid at the moment. Here’s what he had to say:
“Our priority is always to go for all the titles; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here. That’s the priority for any Barça player. Mbappé is a very good player, and talented, but we have to focus on ourselves. On the field, it’s football—11 against 11, and anything can happen. I try to watch as many games as possible; I like it to improve. For now, it’s a bit more fun to watch Barça than Madrid…”
Balde isn’t wrong in saying that Barcelona have been more fun to watch than Real Madrid at the moment. Hansi Flick’s team has hit the ground running whilst Carlo Ancelotti & co. are still finding their feet with two wins and two draws.
The €40m-rated defensive star has not been called up to international duty with Spain for the international break and Barcelona will only be glad for it. After his long injury break, it’s important that he gets sufficient rest as he works his way back to full fitness.
It’s only four games and there is a long way left to go for Barcelona to prove themselves under Hansi Flick. Let’s see how the team returns after the international break and if they can keep this momentum going.
