THE CATALAN PRAISES FLICK AND HIS TEAMMATES
Balde 'gets wet' and compares Hansi Flick's Barça with Xavi Hernández's
Alejandro Balde is having a great time at FC Barcelona. The defender has put his injury behind him and is ready to enjoy a season full of excitement with the team managed by Hansi Flick, who took over the reins of the club after the departure of Xavi Hernández
Alejandro Balde is already a veteran at FC Barcelona. Despite being 20 years old, the footballer already speaks and plays as if he had been in the elite of world football for many years. Although the culé team has had an extraordinary start to the season with 4 victories in its first four commitments in LaLiga, the Catalan asked the fans to calm down.
The player was reviewing the start of the campaign of the Blaugrana team on the microphones of 'Tot Costa' where he began by saying the following: "It is true that we have had a good start, but we are still in September. The season is very long, we must be calm because this is very long," he stressed. However, he has made it clear that the enthusiasm is latent in the team and that they want to fight for all possible titles.
"In the locker room we are very excited. I think we have a very good project with very young players and a lot of talent, but we have to go slowly," explained Balde. But they will also try to "win all the titles, this is our priority, that's why we play for Barça." Without a doubt, the excitement is great among the entire squad and the culé fans, who could not have dreamed of such a good start.
Balde compares Flick to Xavi
When asked about the differences between Hansi Flick and his former coach, Xavi Hernández, the footballer stressed that it is still early to clearly express what the most significant changes are, but he has noticed that the team is now more vertical: "It is still too early to know what has changed. Maybe Hansi Flick has a more direct, more vertical football. There is a person who translates the talks because he speaks in English, but then on the field it is easier to understand everything."
Balde also made it clear that Flick's idea has reached the entire squad in the right way, because he considers that it is "very important to be there for the 90 minutes of the game putting pressure and for the moment we are doing very well." The player also believes that the team is working hard on a physical level, so all the training sessions are done with intensity and based on the objectives proposed for the season.
His favorite Barça players
Despite his young age, Balde is already a scout, saying that he follows the youth team a lot and that "two years ago I told my brother that we would see Lamine Yamal at 16 in the first team. I also really like Marc Bernal, he had a very good year last year."
For his peace of mind and that of all the Barça fans, the player's physical problems are now part of the past. "I feel very well, I had a very long injury. I feel good physically for having been injured for so long. In Valencia they hit me, but it hurt a lot. I could barely walk, but I couldn't hold on. I suppose that my first year was my best moment at Barça. Last year was not good for me or for the team. Now I'm looking to get back into rhythm. I think I can improve many things, I'm only 20 years old and I've been in Primera for three seasons."
The role of the defender in Barcelona
Finally, he spoke about his role in this new Barça team: "In defence, in decision-making, for example. Flick insists most on defence. I'm a full-back and many people only think about the offensive part, but we have to work. We have a squad for everything, with very good players and with absences that will help us a lot when they return," he concluded.