On August 29, Spanish media As revealed that Alba, who has been continuously replaced in recent times, coupled with rumors that Marcos Alonso is expected to join Barcelona, his prospects for representing the Spanish national team in the Qatar World Cup are getting dimmer.
In the last two La Liga games, coach Xavi has placed Alba on the bench, while the left-back position has been filled by youngster Balde. If Marcos Alonso does move from Chelsea, Alba's chances of playing could be further curtailed. It is worth noting that Spain manager Enrique has consistently selected players on the basis of strength, and Alba has not been called up for a year.
According to As, Xavi was quite disappointed with Alba's performance against Rayo Vallecano in the first round, so he subbed him for two consecutive matches. However, Xavi did not completely give up on Alba's trust, because Balde is still an under-19-year-old star of the second team.
However, the report also emphasizes that the addition of Marcos Alonso will not affect Balde's growth and could instead compress Alba's playing time.
