Flick Advises Yamal to Move On
Hansi Flick, the head coach of FC Barcelona, has advised young winger Lamine Yamal to move past his recent matchup with Marc Cucurella during Tuesday’s Champions League defeat against Chelsea. Yamal, at just 18 years old, was largely ineffective in the 3-0 loss at Stamford Bridge, where his performance drew comments from Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, who noted that Cucurella effectively neutralized him.
Flick made the decision to substitute Yamal in the 80th minute, a choice that visibly upset the teenager. However, the coach downplayed the incident during a press conference leading up to Saturday’s LaLiga clash against Deportivo Alavés.
“Lamine is in a good place emotionally,” Flick stated, emphasizing the normalcy of player reactions to being taken off the pitch. “I understand how it feels; I’ve been there myself. The important thing is to move on from this match. Alavés is our current focus, and we need him to return to his best form.”
Reflections on the Chelsea Match
The match against Chelsea was a tough one for the Catalan club, leaving them in a precarious position at the bottom of their Champions League group. After conceding three goals, three additional shots were also ruled offside. While Flick acknowledged the disappointment in the game’s outcome, he expressed optimism about future performances and pushed back against critics of his strategies.
“The loss hurts, particularly because we believed we could win. It’s easy to critique after losing by three goals,” he remarked. Nevertheless, he insisted that many outside observers fail to comprehend the team’s tactical approach, which he feels requires a collective effort across the squad—not just the defenders—to enforce pressing play.
Injury Updates and Upcoming Matches
Flick remains confident in his squad’s ability to improve and highlighted upcoming returns from injury of players like Pedri, who is expected to return against Alavés. Raphinha may also make his first start since September after having recently recovered from illness. Meanwhile, he confirmed that Fermín López would be sidelined for two weeks due to a calf issue, along with Ronald Araújo, who is dealing with a stomach bug.
Looking ahead, a victory against Alavés could temporarily propel Barcelona to the top of the LaLiga table, just ahead of leaders Real Madrid, who are set to face Girona on Sunday. Barcelona’s subsequent challenge will be a significant league encounter against Atlético Madrid, who are currently on a strong winning streak across all competitions after a recent victory over Inter Milan in Europe.
