Jordi Alba reinvents himself at Barcelona

At a time when Xavi Hernandez has found an extra resource with the placement of Eric Garcia at defensive pivot - he did it in Elche with good results - the coach has also started to explore the possibility of Jordi Alba playing further forward, thus exploiting his best qualities. 

The twenty minutes that the player from L'Hospitalet had against Girona were enough to corroborate that Jordi Alba, without being a winger, is the player in the Barça squad with the best ability to reach the back line and cross with quality. He got nine passes right, didn't miss a single one and above all gave a real sense of danger against Girona.

It is not for nothing that Alba is accustomed to providing assists, and has amply surpassed the 100 mark in his long playing career. Not only as the best partner Leo Messi ever had, but other players such as Luis Suárez, Griezmann and Dembélé have also benefited greatly from his precision.

Xavi himself praised Alba's ability to "provide the final pass" after the match, and on occasions he has expressed his ability to break down low block defences.

The emergence and consolidation of Alejandro Balde has taken a lot of the limelight away from Jordi Alba in recent weeks. But in attacking missions it is clear that he has a clear vision and that he can continue to contribute a lot to the team, especially at a time when the forwards are not, by any means, at their best.

Jordi Alba and Alejandro Balde have also shown that, despite having the same natural position, they are compatible. Against Girona, they found each other and passed the ball to each other on several occasions. Balde, from the inside, looked for the projection of Alba on the wing.

It's not surprising this rapport if we take into account that Alba has been focused on, far from rivalries, following attentively the growth of his teammate in that position. Balde has improved a lot in recent months in some tactical and positional aspects and it has been partly thanks to the teachings of Jordi Alba, with the player from L'Hospitalet fulfilling the role of being one of the team captains and putting the collective before the personal.

In games like the one against Elche, in which Alba was a starter, Xavi Hernandez was also able to see the best of Alba's predispositions and attitudes despite playing the side at the bottom of the table. He didn't get carried away, far from it, and he also did well against Girona. Very positive aspects that his coach values.