Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has issued a challenge to his team to excel without the presence of young talent Lamine Yamal, who is currently sidelined due to injury.
Yamal sustained an ankle injury during a Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade earlier this month, causing him to miss international duty with Spain. While there were hopes for his return in the upcoming La Liga clash against Celta Vigo, it seems that he will remain unavailable.
Despite being only 17 years old, Yamal has emerged as a key player for Barcelona since last season, showcasing impressive performances. In the current season, he has already contributed with 14 goals and assists in 16 appearances, surpassing the achievements of even Lionel Messi at a similar age.
Barcelona’s only match without Yamal resulted in a defeat to Real Sociedad just before the international break, highlighting his importance to the team’s performance.
When questioned about Yamal’s impact, Flick responded during a press conference, “I will ask the team [if they can win games without Yamal]. I think it’s a good question for them.”
Addressing the team’s performance in the absence of Yamal, Flick stated, “Against Real Sociedad we didn’t play very well, so that was the reason, [it was] not about Lamine not playing. Lamine is for us very important, but we also have to adapt to this.
He further added, “We have players who can play for him [on the right]. It could be [Raphinha], it could be Dani [Olmo], it could be Fermin [Lopez], it could also be Pablo [Torre] or Pau [Victor].”
With Real Madrid having a delayed fixture until Sunday, Barcelona has the chance to extend their lead in the league standings by securing a win against Celta Vigo. This could potentially create a nine-point gap between the two teams, putting pressure on Real Madrid to catch up.