La Liga 2024-25: Barca must learn how to win without Yamal, says coach Flick
The 17-year-old missed their 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad, which halted Barca’s seven-match winning streak in all competitions two weeks ago.
Published : Nov 22, 2024 19:30 IST , BARCELONA - 2 MINS READ
FC Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal with coach Hansi Flick after being substituted. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal will miss a second consecutive game due to an ankle injury, but manager Hansi Flick on Friday urged the rest of his players to step up in his absence in their La Liga clash at Celta Vigo this weekend.
The 17-year-old missed their 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad, which halted Barca’s seven-match winning streak in all competitions two weeks ago and Flick said that his players need to show that they can win without their teenage sensation.
“Tomorrow, I will put the question to the team - it will be a very good question for them (if they can win without Yamal),” Flick told a press conference on Friday.
“Against Real Sociedad, we didn’t play well, and it wasn’t because of Lamine’s absence. He is a very important player for us, but we have options to also play well without him.
“He won’t be able to play tomorrow, we don’t know when he will be able to go back from his injury, but what is clear for me is that we want him to be back only when he is 100 per cent recovered.”
Yamal played a big role in Spain’s European Championship title win earlier this year in Germany, winning ‘Best Goal’ and the ‘Young Player of the Tournament’ awards in his breakthrough campaign.
He continues to thrive this season with five goals and seven assists to help Barca to the top of the La Liga standings with 33 points, six ahead of rival Real Madrid, which has a game in hand in second place.
Flick suggested that he may have to adjust his system as it is hard to replace a player with such a mixture of speed, technique and finishing.
“We might be a bit limited by the absence of Lamine (Yamal),” Flick said.
“But we have a lot of players with great quality, and they can play in different positions. We’ll see what we’ll need, and we’ll design the game plan.
“It’s always important after the international break to come back strong and with confidence. That’s our goal for tomorrow.”
Third-placed Atletico Madrid, which is one point behind Real, hosts lowly Alaves on Saturday.