Frustration Over Player Management
Hansi Flick, the head coach of FC Barcelona, expressed frustration over how the Spanish national team managed the situation of young forward Lamine Yamal during the recent international break. The 18-year-old player, who recently showed promise by scoring and assisting in various matches, is sidelined for Barcelona’s La Liga encounter against Valencia due to groin pain exacerbated by his participation in Spain’s World Cup qualifying triumphs over Bulgaria and Turkey.
Concerns About Player Welfare
Flick revealed that Yamal played through discomfort, resorting to painkillers to compete despite being in considerable pain during training sessions prior to the qualifiers.
“Lamine was already in pain when he joined the national team, and despite that, he was made to play 79 and 73 minutes in matches where Spain had established a significant lead,”
Flick remarked during a Saturday press conference. He lamented that not training between matches clearly indicated a lack of proper care for the athlete.
Communication Gaps
The coach, who formerly led the German national squad, criticized the communication gap with Spain’s coach, Luis de la Fuente.
“We’ve never truly had a conversation. Perhaps my Spanish isn’t excellent, and his English isn’t either, which complicates things,”
Flick acknowledged, emphasizing the importance of better dialogue, especially since multiple players are under the national team’s umbrella.
Injury Updates and Team Morale
Adding to Barcelona’s challenges, Frenkie de Jong will also miss the Valencia match due to an injury he sustained while with the Dutch team. Other absentees include Gavi and Alejandro Balde, although the squad gets a silver lining with Marc Bernal’s return to the bench after recovering from a lengthy ACL injury.
Upcoming Match Details
The clash against Valencia will take place in the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which accommodates 6,000 spectators, as renovations at the iconic Spotify Camp Nou continue. Despite these constraints, Flick communicated confidence in his team’s ability to handle the situation, noting that the players believe the venue won’t hinder their performance.
“Valencia will also have to adapt to the stadium. Our pre-season preparations showed we can secure wins here, which we aim to repeat this Sunday,”
he said.
Thiago Alcantara’s Return
The match will also mark the first occasion of Thiago Alcantara’s presence on the coaching staff since he rejoined Flick’s team. Flick expressed enthusiasm about Alcantara’s return, highlighting his wealth of experience and positive influence on younger players, which he sees as a valuable asset towards achieving their goals this season.
