Barcelona have struggled for two straight games to keep the opposition out, while going forward they have been less more dangerous. However one of the areas they have struggled with is the left flank.
With Joao Felix playing close to Robert Lewandowski, left-back Alejandro Balde once again has the entire left flank to deal with by himself, as was the case when he excelled last season.
However Balde has not been quite the same so far in recent games. Against Real Mallorca, he struggled to carry a threat from wide, losing the ball 13 times and winning less than half (4) of his 9 duels.
It speaks to the fact that in recent matches, by design or mistake, Balde has been positioned essentially as a left winger. It means he has struggled to get back on time to deal with counter-attacks, while with the ball, Balde has been working from a standing start, something which does not benefit him.
Sport note that Balde does far more damage arriving in that position or running beyond on the defence rather than receiving the ball opposite the opposing full-back. Without support from Felix, or Gavi as was often the case for last season, it’s been tricky for Balde to have the same impact.
Certainly there is no denying that Balde has not had the same impact in recent weeks, but perhaps it is too early to call it a systemic problem. It could well be a slight dip in form. Equally, Xavi Hernandez does not want to rob Balde of his best tool, which as they rightly point out, is coming onto the ball at pace or running in behind.