Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Sep 24, 2024, 01:58 PM Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has said Lamine Yamal does not need a rest and backed referees to deal with the rough treatment the young winger is increasingly experiencing. Yamal, 17, has started all seven of Barça’s games in all competitions this season on the back of winning the European Championship with Spain in the summer, scoring four goals and creating five more this term already. While other players have been rested in recent matches, Yamal has not been taken off before the 80th minute and there are growing calls to manage his minutes more carefully given his age.
“We have all the data from the players and at the moment it’s not like that, that he needs a rest,” Flick said in a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s game at home to Getafe in LaLiga. “At the moment, everything is fine. He feels good. I don’t think that [against Getafe] he needs a rest. It’s also important playing at home to start well with a great team. “And what Lamine Yamal is doing this season is unbelievable. The quality has nothing to say about the age; at his age he is really unbelievable, doing great things. “Is he the best [in the world]? I think he could be the best player in the future, 100%.”
Lamine Yamal celebrates with teammate Robert Lewandowski during Barcelona’s win over Villarreal. David Ramos/Getty Images Yamal starred once again at the weekend, hitting the woodwork, winning a penalty and setting up the fifth goal as Barça beat Villarreal 5-1 to make it six wins from six under Flick in the league. However, as frustrations boiled over late on, there were several unnecessary fouls on him, but Flick backed the match officials to protect the teenager. “The referees are doing well,” Flick added when asked about the treatment of Yamal. “They take care and they give yellow cards, it’s good.
“These athletes are important to us because of their amazing ball handling skills. I am aware that playing against them is difficult because I used to be more of a defensive player. We must examine these circumstances and see the decisions made by the referee.” Marc-André ter Stegen, the goalkeeper, suffered an injury during the Villarreal victory. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to surgery on Monday for a ruptured tendon in his right knee. While he encouraged reserve goalkeeper Iñaki Peña to step up, sources claimed ESPN that Barça will look into signing a free agent to replace Ter Stegen. Flick confirmed the club will talk about whether they need to go to the transfer market.
“It’s never easy for a backup goalie to stay focused, but Iñaki does and he’s ready to go,” Flick remarked. “We must be aware of our actions even when we have faith in him. We have very young guys behind [Peña], so we will talk later. “We need to be mindful of any changes we make. We are quite confident in Iűaki and don’t feel under pressure.” Ter Stegen has joined the club’s long list of injured players, which also includes Dani Olmo, Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Fermín López.
While all eight of those players will be out from Wednesday’s match against Getafe, league leaders Ferran Torres will be back from suspension as they aim to continue their unbeaten start to the season at home.
