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 picked Frenkie de Jong at right-back during the second half.
The result was a valuable one for Barcelona, who ground out victory at the Metropolitano. Yet the game also produced a telling moment on the Catalan bench, one that only came to light two days later.
Flick caught his players off guard by fielding De Jong at right-back. The German 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 coach walked over to his player and asked whether he was ready to fill in at right-back. De Jong took on the task with a smile and raised no objection.
The situation changed when De Jong passed the decision on to his team-mates. He told Gavi and Wojciech Szczesny that he would be playing on the right of the defence, and the news was met with disbelief. Tonkara even had to explain what was happening to Alex Campos, while several players followed the exchange closely to catch the details of the surprise call.
Balde’s reaction
Balde witnessed the whole exchange. The left-back wore a serious expression throughout De Jong’s conversation about his new role, as if he was wondering why the coach had passed him over.
What was running through Balde’s mind remains unclear. The moment nonetheless carried extra weight given his recent situation, with his standing in the German coach’s plans on the slide. Speculation about his future has swirled for weeks, with his name linked to a possible exit from Barcelona in the winter window.
Flick, meanwhile, has once again shown 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 gamble paid off. Barcelona left the Metropolitano with three points, and the decision also produced one of the most widely shared moments from the Catalan bench.