Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso watches on
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso appears dejected
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Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England looks on after the 6-4 win during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium
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Maxence Lacroix of Chelsea
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‘Incredible’ Chelsea talent should be fuming as Xabi Alonso continues to underuse him
Emmanuel Emegha of Chelsea consoles a dejected Valentin Barco
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Xabi Alonso has underused Valentin Barco this season
Welbeck’s situation is a bit more understandable than Barco’s. Before Pedro’s injury, Chelsea had an undroppable attack. There was no room for Welbeck in the first XI.
However, it is a much different story in midfield, as Alonso has had trouble in that area of the pitch for most of the season. At one stage, the Spaniard was even using Malo Gusto in the engine room.
How confident are you that Chelsea can get the better of Sunderland? ⚽
Draw
If Fofana plays against Brobbey, then 3-1 to our Chelsea. If Anselmino somehow plays against Brobbey, 3-0 to our Chelsea. Going to be down to the CBs and the midfield pairing. I hope Lavia starts and plays the whole match.
I think Chelsea's going to win, I just hope that won't come with more injuries and red/ yellow cards
As a natural midfielder or a player who has developed into one, Barco should have been fuming. To have racked up just 118 minutes of Premier League football this season despite what is going on in Chelsea’s midfield is disappointing.
Barco will feel that he has much to offer, and his stats from the previous campaign back that up. In possession, the 22-year-old was really able to get on the ball while playing for Strasbourg.
According to FotMob, Barco completed 55.58 passes per 90 minutes. He outperformed 88.1% of midfielders in Ligue 1.
Barco was not just passing for the sake of it, though. He was able to shift the ball forward and begin attacking moves. The Argentine made 14.04 line-breaking passes per 90, outperforming 92.7% of players in his position.
Barco also outperformed 86.2% of midfielders when it came to creating chances after averaging 1.58 per 90 last term. On TalkingPoints, one Chelsea supporter thinks Barco should be handed an opportunity, and you can understand why after his performances at Strasbourg.
Personally I hope Lavia & Barco should be giving their necessary chance to prove themselves than wasting funds on Scott.
Looking at the above, then, perhaps there have been games this season where the Argentina international could have helped out. Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur instantly springs to mind.
That night, Chelsea’s midfield was dragged all over the place by Mateus Fernandes, James Maddison and Sandro Tonali. Spurs finished that game with a whopping 69% ball possession figure.
Early in that London derby, it was easy to see that Chelsea were struggling in midfield and getting outplayed in that particular area of the pitch. Could Alonso have brought Barco on, even in the first half, and switched to a midfield three to give the Blues more control? It could not have made Chelsea’s engine room any worse. Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson were simply overrun as a double pivot.
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Back home, Barco is highly rated. “He’s an incredible player for us, he does crazy things,” Barco’s former Boca Juniors teammate Miguel Merentiel said via TyC Sports after one game in 2023.
The ex-Strasbourg man will now be hoping that Alonso shows him that kind of love soon. He may get a starting opportunity this weekend when Chelsea take on Sunderland.
On Wednesday, Moises Caicedo was absent from training. If he is unavailable, it could see Barco earn just his second start in the Premier League this season.