Barcelona suffered damage on Wednesday evening when they visited Deportivo Alavés: 1-0. The legs undoubtedly still felt heavy at Barcelona, because the Catalans celebrated the title extensively two days earlier. Frenkie de Jong was not in the selection.
De Jong seemed to be on his way back after a muscle injury that kept him out for more than two months. The Dutchman has since played six games as a substitute and he also played for half an hour in Sunday’s championship match against Real Madrid.
In the away match against Alavés, coach Hansi Flick kept the midfielder out of the selection and that led to speculation. Fermin Lopez was also not present. According to the Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo the trainer left the pair at home for ‘tactical reasons’.
It was an evening to forget for Barcelona. Two days after the big championship celebration, the focus didn’t seem to be there yet. Alavés – which is 15th in La Liga – turned out to be too strong with a 1-0 win. A goal from Ibrahim Diabate just before half time was enough for the victory. Alavés is doing well in the fight against relegation.
This season, Barça will play at home against Real Betis and away against Valencia.
La Liga programme
