The future of Alejandro Balde at Barcelona was a hot topic in recent days with a lot of noise regarding his possible exit from the club, but it seems things have settled down as new reports say the player has decided to stay and fight for his spot on the team.
Hansi Flick was asked about Balde in a press conference on Wednesday and said he will be back in the squad for Thursday’s La Liga clash with Athletic Club and made it clear he’s happy to have Balde in the group, but sent a message about what’s
expected of the young left-back.
“He’s part of the squad for tomorrow. Whether he plays or not, I’ll decide. I’ve spoken with him, and the important thing is that he’s 100% committed to us. He’s 22 and very young, he has potential. His first season here was fantastic, but he can improve even more. He comes from La Masia and has Barça colors in his heart, but he needs to be here and improve. Every year, three or four players from La Masia come here who also want to play. They have to be 100% committed to professional football.”
Flick’s message on Wednesday is the exact same message from his press conference last Saturday: he’s happy to have Balde around as long as the left-back is 100% committed to stay and fight for his spot, as is the expectation for every single other player in the squad.
It’s incredibly sad that a group of Barça fans on social media decided to believe in media reports instead of Flick’s words and built an entire campaign asking for Hansi’s departure under the assumption that the coach “hated La Masia” and wanted Balde gone.
Flick simply wants a very talented young player who still has room to improve to be fully professional, work hard and fight for his place in the starting lineup of one of the best teams on the planet. If holding somebody accountable is “hating”, something is seriously wrong with the world.
