Flick: Barcelona’s Performance Affected by Yamal’s Absence

Hans Flick, Barcelona’s coach, admitted on Monday that he is deeply concerned about his team’s declining form after failing to win for the second consecutive time in La Liga. However, the German manager hopes the return of Lamine Yamal from injury will boost the team’s performance.

The young Spanish forward continues to recover from an ankle injury, but Flick’s team could return to winning ways without him as they host Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday.

At a press conference, Flick said:

“We all know how talented Yamal is and how impactful his quality can be on the pitch. Lamine has the ability to control the game and draw more space for us from the opposition. I think and hope this will be the last game he misses because he looked great in training. But we’ll have to wait. I hope he’ll be available on Saturday… perhaps from the bench. But we’ll see.”

After a remarkable run of seven straight wins starting in October, Barcelona stumbled with a 0-1 loss to Real Sociedad and a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo, both without Yamal.

Flick, who took charge of Barcelona in May, said his young squad must learn to handle adversity and that a positive result against Brest would be a good start.

“The most important thing is to win, and that’s what we’re focused on for tomorrow’s match,” Flick said.

“We have a young squad—the youngest in La Liga—and it’s not easy. The players need to know that they’re good, that they have quality, and that they must stick together.”