Hansi Flick has backed Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to respond positively to his midweek disappointment and said ‘now is the time for him to show his best’.
Yamal was well chained by Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella as Barca were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The duel between the two Spanish teammates was largely won by the more experienced man, leading to Yamal being taken off with 10 minutes remaining at Stamford Bridge.
The 18-year-old didn’t seem particularly happy with his withdrawal, but Flick said there were no ongoing issues.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s match against Alavés, he said: “He is doing well, he feels good. A lot of players, when we change them, are not happy. I was also a player and I didn’t react correctly. Cucurella is one of the best full-backs in the world, very good in defense. It’s up to Lamine to take a step forward, to demonstrate his abilities again. Now is the time to show his best level.”
Barcelona staff not concerned by Chelsea defeat
Reports in the Catalan press suggest that Flick and his coaching staff were not too concerned about the defeat and performance against Chelsea, citing the dismissal of defender Ronald Araujo in the first half and the absence of key midfielder Pedri as major contributing factors.
“When we lose and concede three goals, it’s easy to say it wasn’t a good game,” he added.
“It seems like the defense is to blame, but that’s not fair. If we don’t press well, we’ll have problems. We’ve done a lot of things well, but we need to improve.
“Pedri will bring us more quality, he is almost available. We want to improve in every match. In today’s training I saw good dynamics, intensity, that’s what we lacked in some elements against Chelsea. We have confidence with and without the ball, but we have to prove it.”
Pedri and Raphinha return
Pedri will start on the bench against Alaves while Raphinha is expected to return to the starting XI.
Flick said of the Brazilian winger: “Of course we missed him. He is one of the most focused players in the team, he fits our style and philosophy. He has a very positive impact on our game, he is very good in transitions. He is also hungry and eager to show how good he is after a big year.”
Araujo will miss the match with a stomach problem, with Andreas Christensen set to replace him at the heart of the back four. A victory for Barça will put them back above Real Madrid at the top of the table for at least 24 hours.
