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Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez showered his praise on left-back Alejandro Balde for his impressive performance against Elche.
The 18-year-old bagged two assists as the Catalan club earned a 3-0 win at Camp Nou. He has now played in five games for the club this season and has provided three assists to his teammates.
Balde's emergence has seen Jordi Alba being on the bench for the majority of the season so far. Alba made the left-back position almost his own for the Blaugrana as he was the first-choice player for that role for almost a decade after his arrival from Valencia.
Marcos Alonso's arrival on the deadline day of the transfer window didn't help his case either.
Xavi raised many eyebrows when he decided to field Balde ahead of both Alonso and Alba. Here's what the Barcelona coach had to say about his choice (via Diario Sport):
"I have seen that they did a lot of individual marking and Balde can generate superiorities inside and ou. It never ceases to amaze me that an 18-year-old boy is at this level. He has a lot of confidence and personality, he has a great physical condition and he’s going to give us a lot.”
Barca have now won five straight La Liga matches this season. They currently have 16 points on board from their six games. The Blaugrana are leading the league table at the moment. However, Real Madrid are yet to play their sixth league game of the campaign.
Xavi Hernandez discusses Barcelona's win against Elche
Barcelona suffered the first defeat of their season against Bayern Munich midweek at the UEFA Champions League. However, they made a strong comeback in their latest game.
Xavi decided to bring in some new faces to the team for the game against Elche. Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, and Frank Kessie were given starts alongside Balde. Here's what Xavi Hernandez had to say on the same:
"In the end we are a very broad squad, everyone is training well and performing well. It is an atypical year, in which the calendar is more compressed. We need the whole group, everyone must be prepared. Whoever plays is up to the task. We are in good dynamics, in terms of results and play. We have a choice and the squads are the ones that win the titles, not a starting 11."
