Hansi Flick has backed Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal to respond positively to his midweek disappointment and says “now it is time for him to show his best level.”
Yamal was well shackled by Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella as Barca were hammered 3-0 by Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The dual between the two Spain team-mates was emphatically won by the more experienced man, leading to Yamal being dragged off with 10 minutes to go at Stamford Bridge.
The 18-year-old didn’t look particularly happy with his withdrawal but Flick said there was no lingering issue.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game with Alaves, he said: “He’s okay, he feels good. Many players, when we change them, are not happy. I was also a player and I didn’t react properly. Cucurella is one of the best full-backs in the world, very good in defence. It’s up to Lamine to take a step forward, to demonstrate his ability again. It’s now when you should show your best level.”
Barcelona staff not concerned by Chelsea defeat
Reports in the Catalan press suggest Flick and his coaching staff were not overly concerned by the defeat and the performance against Chelsea, citing the first-half dismissal of defender Ronald Araujo and the absence of key midfielder Pedri as major contributory factors.
“When we lose and concede three goals it’s easy to say it wasn’t a good game,” he added.
“It seems that the defence is to blame, but that is not fair. If we don’t press well, we’ll have problems. We did a lot of things well, but we have to improve.
“Pedri will bring us more quality, he is almost available. We want to improve each game. In today’s training I saw good dynamics, intensity, that’s what we missed 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 set to return to the starting XI.
Flick said of the Brazil winger: “Of course, we’ve missed him. He is one of the most focused players on 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 great year.”
Araujo will miss the game with a stomach bug with Andreas Christensen set to deputise at the heart of the back four. A win for Barca will take them back above Real Madrid at the top of the table, for 24 hours at least.
