The departure of Dani Alves from FC Barcelona left the Catalan club with a huge void to fill on the right-back position.
Luis Enrique played Sergi Roberto on the flank, despite him primarily being a midfielder, and several defenders like Semedo, Aleix Vidal, Dest, Douglas, and Emerson Royal were all unable to stabilise this position.
Only with the arrival of Joao Cancelo has Xavi found a natural right-back competent enough for his plans. However, he is on loan, and other options like Kounde and Araujo prefer to play in the centre.
Still, the right-back position is not the only problematic area for Barcelona, as SPORT reports that the Catalans are also looking to bring in some competition for Alejandro Balde, who is currently the only natural left-back in the club’s squad.
Like Dani Alves, the void left by Jordi Alba was also difficult to fill. However, in the last season, Balde was able to push Alba out of the starting lineup and later got the position for himself as the Spaniard decided to leave the club.
With Alba’s departure, the only competition for Balde in the squad is Marcos Alonso. However, the former Chelsea player has played very few minutes this season, and his back injury means he will also be unavailable for Xavi for some months in the future. The Blaugranes will be happy to find a suitable buyer for Alonso in the coming summer.
The worrying aspect for Barcelona in this scenario is the decline in Balde’s performances. The coaching staff is concerned about the fullback’s decision-making, especially in attacking areas, and believes he needs some competition to get back to his best.
Xavi has tried to get Balde back to form by playing him as high up on the pitch as possible. But, the head coach has still not gotten a positive reaction from the player.
As a result, Barcelona are looking to bring another left-back to the team. The club’s options in the market are very limited because of its economic problems, but Hector Fort is emerging as a possible candidate for this role, and his increasing prominence in recent months also points towards this policy.
