Getty Xavi is missing Dembele.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was full of praise for teenage left-back Alejandro Balde after watching the youngster impress once again in the team’s 2-1 La Liga victory over Real Betis.
Balde is in the midst of a stunning breakout season at the Camp Nou and was named in the starting XI yet again at the Benito Villamarin, starting ahead of more experienced players such as Marcos Alonso and Jordi Alba.
The 19-year-old teed up Raphinha for the opening goal and ended the victory being named the game’s MVP. Xavi was asked about the defender after the win and made it clear how impressed he’s been by his young star, as reported by Marca.
“Luckily, we have three spectacular full-backs: Jordi, Marcos and Balde,” he told reporters. “He played a great game today. It’s a joy to watch him play and he gives us a guarantee of performance.”
Balde has now started 15 of Barcelona’s 19 La Liga games this season and appears to be Xavi’s first choice. The manager even prevented the youngster from going out on loan before the start of the season. Getafe wanted to take Balde for the season but Xavi blocked the move.
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Balde Takes Xavi’s Advice
Balde has admitted that he’s received advice from Xavi this season. The Barcelona coach has told the youngster he has a lot of “offensive potential” and the defender has certainly been improving in that regard.
The teenager’s assist for Raphinha against Betis was his fourth of the season. Out of all the Under-20 players in Europe’s top five leagues, only Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala has more this season, according to Opta.
Balde’s impressive form is likely to be rewarded with a new long-term contract. The Catalans want to hand the left-back a deal that runs until 2027 with a release clause set at 500 million euros to ward off any potential admirers, as reported by Sport.
Barcelona Extend Lead
Barcelona’s win over Betis has extended the team’s lead at the top of the league table to eight points over Real Madrid. Los Blancos will try to cut the gap on Thursday, February 2 when they take on Valencia.
Xavi’s side now have 50 points from 19 games which bodes well for their hopes of winning the title at the end of the season, as shown by Opta.
50 – Barcelona have won 50 points after 19 games in LaLiga 22/23 (W16 D2 L1). In 4 of the 5 seasons Barcelona have won as many points at this stage of the competition they have gone on to win the title (08/09, 10/11, 12/13 and 17/18), failing to do so only in 13/14. Dream.
Xavi went on to praise his whole team for their win and felt they fully deserved all three points, as reported by Football Espana.
“I’m very happy with the game. We have improved a lot compared to the game against Girona. We played a brilliant game,” he added. “Today it was key not to lose the ball and we minimised just that. We dominated from start to finish.”
Barcelona now head home to prepare for their next game against Sevilla. The Andalusians are enduring a difficult campaign, and are currently down in 13th place, and visit the Camp Nou on Sunday, February 5.
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