New footage from the match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid has revealed Alejandro Balde's reaction after he learned of coach Hansi Flick's decision to use his team-mate Frenkie de Jong at right-back during the second half.
Barcelona ground out a valuable 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid. Yet the game served up a telling moment on the Catalan bench, one that only emerged two days later.
Flick caught his players off guard by fielding De Jong at right-back, leaning on the Dutch midfielder's experience and tactical reading to plug the team's problems down the right flank.
According to the Catalan newspaper "Sport", the "DAZN" cameras caught a conversation between Flick and De Jong before the substitution. The German coach walked over to his player and asked whether he was ready to fill in at right-back, and the Dutchman took on the task with a smile, raising no objection.
Things took a turn when De Jong passed the decision on to his team-mates. He told Gavi and Wojciech Szczesny he would be playing on the right of the defence, and the news was met 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
Alejandro Balde witnessed the whole thing. The left-back wore a serious expression throughout De Jong's talk about his new role, as if wondering why the coach had passed him over.
What was really running through Balde's head remains a mystery, but the moment carried extra weight given his recent situation, with his standing in the German coach's plans on the slide.
Speculation over Balde's future has swirled for weeks, with his name linked to a possible exit from Barcelona in the winter window.
Flick, meanwhile, showed once again that he is happy to shuffle his players into unfamiliar positions, trusting De Jong's ability and experience to handle the right-back role against Atletico Madrid.
It paid off. Barcelona walked out of the Metropolitano with three points, and the gamble also delivered one of the most widely shared moments from the Catalan bench.