The two Barça footballers have gone from undisputed substitutes at the start of the season
Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are going through difficult times at Barcelona. At the start of the season, the two players, aged 35 and 33 respectively, have seen how their role in the culé team has changed dramatically. From undeniably among the eleven and heavyweights in the squad’s prep, they have become regulars on the bench, not even adding a minute in the case of the centre-back for the first three days.
“I spoke to him just before we went on vacation. I was very clear and told him that we would strengthen ourselves and that it would not be easy. He is a player who can help us in a different kind of role, it depends on his feelings and mine. There is competition for everyone and I try to choose the best ones to win the games,” said Xavi Hernandez when asked about Pique after his team’s friendly against Manchester City. That day, Tarrasa’s coach gave the chance to less usual footballers and among them was the central defender, unprecedented in the league start.
And it is that in just a few months, Pique has gone from one extreme to the other on the Barça ladder. He was the real emperor behind Barça, an unassailable defense that watched everyone around him change except him. Last season, without progressing, he had to force into the last piece despite discomfort as there was no guarantee of a replacement in the center of the defence. He finished the course with 40 games and more than 3,000 minutes, inappropriate figures for a 35-year-old football player. Nevertheless, Xavi surprised the market by relegating him to the background while waiting for reinforcements such as Christensen or the long-awaited Koundé.
Those signings came in, along with Eric García and Ronald Araujo on the defensive, and have Pique relegated to relegation. He did not play a minute in the first three days, despite the fact that Koundé could not be signed up until this weekend as Araujo had to act as a right-back due to Xavi’s lack of confidence in Sergiño Dest. With all these troops ready, the presence of the centre-back seems even more complicated and just the possibility of a line of three, which Barça have already used this course from time to time, and the lack of a right-handed job of guarantees can make it has more participation than it has now.
Jordi Alba’s future isn’t as flattering as Hospitalet’s would like. He started the season with a lead in the dispute with Balde, waiting for Marcos Alonso to be signed, but he has seen how the youth side has earned a spot in the 11th substitution at the first substitution and is benefiting from the perfection of Xavi’s minutes . Balde was a starter against Real Sociedad and Valladolid, the two games the Catalans have won, and has shown that he is a constant alternative in attack to widen the Barca field. So much so that his coach didn’t hesitate to praise him last weekend. “He plays because he plays very well, he deserves it. There will also be moments for Jordi and Gerard, there will be games and opportunities for everyone. The competition makes them better and Balde shows a great personality, he has a great offensive ability,” said Xavi.
Barça are in the final hours of the market with a number of tasks still to be solved. With Koundé already signed up, the culé team is now focusing mainly on releasing players who don’t count for Xavi. That’s the big challenge for a sports management that hasn’t managed to get Martin Braithwaite and Sergiño Dest to pack for more than two months. The Danish footballer is clinging to his contract as the American awaits a proposal that will tempt him and may come from Manchester. United have their eyes on him and are considering the possibility of making Barca an offer in which Wan-Bissaka can enter as a bargaining chip.
Other footballers living on the phone in this market are Miralem Pjanic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay. All three count for Xavi, but their high salaries make the club positive about a possible last-minute sale to ease the wage bill. The Gabonese has a proposal from Chelsea, an option that could facilitate Marcos Alonso’s landing at Camp Nou. A player Barca has wanted to replace Jordi Alba for months and who could slow Balde’s progression.
Source: La Verdad
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