Player Analysis: Alejandro Balde
POS: Left-back, occasionally right-back
Preferred Foot: Left
Club: FC Barcelona
12 La Liga Clean Sheets in 16 Starts
League Assists (A | xA): 4 | 2.9
Alex Balde has some big shoes to fill. The La Masia graduate has now taken over the starting spot from the ageing Jordi Alba. It is fair to say he has been Barcelona's breakout player up to this point in the season. As with most young fullbacks of this new generation, Balde is better going forward than he is defending. This is not to say that he is a slouch defensively. He is responsible defensively, can time tackles well, and his pace makes it hard to get past him in 1v1 situations.
Tactical:
In Buildup:
Barcelona rely heavily on their centre-backs and midfield 3 + inverted LW to progress the ball. This LW is usually Gavi, who tucks into the left half-space. Balde's positioning allows Barça to create an overload in the midfield and gain control of the game.
Balde's pinning of the opposition fullback/winger also creates space for someone like Pedri/De Jong to drop in beside the centre-backs to receive the ball with time to carry the ball forward or pick out a pass.
When Barça are building up on the right-hand side, Balde tends to hold width on the left. This means that he is open to receive a switch of play, isolating him vs the opposing fullback; a situation which he excels in. This is becoming a growing trend with possession based teams.
On the ball:
Balde is not relied on heavily for build-up purposes. He is Barça's outlet ball on the left-side, and constantly finds himself in advantageous 1v1 situations. Balde is an excellent ball carrier, but his highlighting quality is his 1v1 ability.
Balde is excellent at attacking open space. Pace + his great technical ability make him incredibly difficult to stop. More often than not he is able to beat his man and get a cross into the box. The diagrams below highlight his effectiveness as a progressor.
Off the ball:
As I have mentioned, Balde is Barça's outlet ball. Rather than him making runs in behind, he receives the ball to feet. This is down to the system imo, as there has been evidence of his capability to still make these runs into dangerous areas, much like Jordi Alba.
Due to his situation, it is inevitable that comparisons to Jordi Alba will be made. It is important to note that stylistically, they are different players. While Alba was known for his overlapping/penetrating runs, Balde is much more of an on-ball, 1v1 threat.
Xavi has a monster on his hands. Balde has already developed well over the first year and a half of his career, and under Xavi's management he could eventually become a world class full-back as Alba once was. There is a way to go for the 19 year old, but he is on the right path.
