Barcelona ground out a valuable 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid, but a telling moment on the Catalan bench only came to light two days later. Head coach Hansi Flick surprised his players by using Frenkie de Jong at right-back during the second half, and new footage has now revealed how Alejandro Balde reacted to the decision.
Flick turned to the Dutch midfielder’s experience and tactical reading to plug the team’s problems down the right flank. According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, DAZN cameras caught a conversation between the two men before the substitution. Flick walked over to De Jong and asked whether he was ready to fill in at right-back. De Jong accepted the task with a smile and raised no objection.
The news quickly spread through the squad. De Jong told Gavi and Wojciech Szczesny that he would be playing on the right of the defence, and both reacted 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 were wondering why the coach had passed him over.
What was really running through Balde’s mind remains unclear. The moment carried extra weight, however, given his recent situation. His standing in Flick’s plans has slipped, and speculation about his future has swirled for weeks, with his name linked to a possible exit from Barcelona in the winter transfer window.
Flick, meanwhile, showed once again that he is willing to move his players into unfamiliar positions. He trusted De Jong’s ability and experience to handle the right-back role against Atletico Madrid, and 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.