Hi community!
The Catalan has not finished any matches this season.
Alejandro Balde is a key player in Hansi Flick's starting eleven, but this season he's also the German manager's most frequent substitute. The defender hasn't completed a single match, always leaving the pitch before the final whistle. He's started a total of nine games, due to injury, across La Liga and the Champions League, and his number is always displayed on the scoreboard. Interestingly, Gerard Martín, who replaced him during his injury, also hasn't played a full match. Both left-backs are destined to be substituted in every game.
Balde started in the first three LaLiga matches. He played 68 minutes in Mallorca, 76 minutes at the Ciutat de València, and 78 minutes in Vallecas. At Son Moix, he was replaced by Jofre Torrents, against Levante by Christensen, and against Rayo Vallecano by Gerard Martín. Subsequently, the academy graduate suffered an injury that sidelined him for five matches. Upon his return, Hansi Flick managed his playing time. He came off the bench against PSG and Sevilla.
Interestingly, when he was fully fit, the pattern repeated itself. Against Girona, he left the pitch in the 76th minute, and against Olympiacos, in the 75th. He also didn't complete the full match in El Clásico, even though it seemed it would be the first game he'd play in its entirety. But Hansi Flick decided to substitute him in stoppage time, seven of the eleven minutes of added time had already elapsed. Gerard Martín came on in his place.
Against Elche, he played 74 minutes, but against Club Brugge, the story of El Clásico was repeated. Again, Balde seemed poised to complete the entire match for the first time this season, but Hansi Flick used stoppage time to bring on Gerard Martín. It was the 93rd minute, and the Catalan barely had time to touch the ball. In the last match against Celta Vigo, Balde played 86 minutes. We'll have to see if he manages to finish the game against Athletic Bilbao or if he continues to be a recurring substitution for the German coach.
It just so happens that Balde isn't the only one experiencing this situation. Gerard Martín, the team's other left-back, isn't immune to being substituted either. In the eight matches he started due to Balde's injury, the Catalan didn't complete a single one. Replaced by Jofre Torrents, Eric García, or Araujo, he always left the pitch early. The match he played the most was the 84 minutes against Getafe.
Last season, Balde completed almost half of the matches he started. He was in the starting eleven in 40 matches across La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa, completing 23 of them. This season, however, he has become Hansi Flick's most frequent substitute so far.
See You soon!
