Hansi Flick acknowledges that Lamine Yamal’s return is key for Barcelona’s La Liga and UCL campaign
The return of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was the key behind Barcelona’s 5-1 thrashing of Real Mallorca on Tuesday, according to Blaugrana coach Hansi Flick.
Spain’s Euro 2024 star Yamal had been sidelined for four weeks due to an ankle injury, with Flick’s team only taking one point from three games in LaLiga during that time.
Those stumbles allowed Real Madrid to cut their lead at the summit to one point, with Los Blancos still possessing a game in hand. However, Barca responded in emphatic fashion on Tuesday.
Captain Raphinha scored twice as they trounced Mallorca, with Yamal assisting his second as one of two chances he created for team-mates.
Speaking to Movistar Plus after the win, Flick said of Yamal: “Today he was very important for us, he always generates positive things for the team.
“He could have scored one or two goals today, he played very well.
“Of course I am happy with the team performance. In the first half we had a lot of chances and we scored, they equalised from a counterattack but we kept going. The entire team is happy with how things went tonight.”
Flick did not even need his star striker Robert Lewandowski against Mallorca.
Lewandowski, who is the leading scorer in LaLiga with 15 goals this campaign, was handed a rest after starting all 20 of Barcelona’s previous matches in all competitions.
Lewandowski’s replacement Ferran Torres pounced on some sloppy defending by Mallorca to give the visitors an early lead, earning praise from his coach.
“Lewandowski needed to rest, we had to look after him,” Flick said. “And Ferran had a very good game and scored the first goal, it’s very important for him too.
“Whenever we need him, he’s always there. Today we didn’t need to play Lewandowski.”
Barca top the standings on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who have two games in hand. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are third on 32 and have one game in hand.
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