Barcelona’s head coach, Hansi Flick, has accused the Spanish national team of not taking care of Lamine Yamal during the recent international break. As a result, Yamal will be unavailable in Barcelona’s La Liga game against Valencia on Sunday.
Yamal, 18, played for Spain in their World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Turkey last week, despite managing pain in his groin. Now, he’s uncertain if he’ll be fit for Thursday’s Champions League opener against Newcastle United.
Flick explained in a press conference that Yamal went to play for the national team while already hurting. He didn’t train during that time and had to rely on painkillers to participate in the matches. Despite Spain being ahead in both games, Yamal still played significant minutes. Flick remarked, “This is not how to take care of players. Spain has an incredible team with amazing talent, and I’m truly saddened by this situation.”
Yamal had started the season in fine form, scoring two goals and providing two assists in Barcelona’s first three La Liga games, and three assists during his recent appearances for Spain.
Flick pointed out how crucial it is to have clear communication with Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente. He mentioned, “I haven’t had many deep talks with him. We face some language barriers—my Spanish isn’t great, and his English has its own problems.
“Normally, the communication, since we have more players there than just Lamine, could be better. I was also on this side as a national team coach, so I know how hard this job sometimes is, but the communication with the clubs was always good.”
Barcelona will be without Frenkie de Jong for the match against Valencia, as he suffered an injury while playing for the Netherlands.
Gavi and Alejandro Balde are still out, but Barça got a big boost with Marc Bernal coming back. He’ll be on the bench after spending over a year recovering from an ACL injury.
The game will happen at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which holds 6,000 fans and is right next to Barça’s training ground. However, there’s still some uncertainty about when the team will return to Spotify Camp Nou, as it’s being renovated.
Flick said, “I have talked with the players and the captains, and they assure me that this will not impact our performance,” referring to the need to play in a much smaller venue. “This is not an excuse. Valencia also has to compete in this stadium. Our performance against Como [during preseason] showed that we can win here, and that is what I expect to see on Sunday.
“We understand the situation. The president [Joan Laporta] has given me a full picture of what’s going on. I am hopeful about our [returning to Camp Nou]. These things do not affect my team.”
This match marks the first fixture that Thiago Alcantara will be present on the sidelines following his return to Flick’s coaching staff this week.
Flick said, “I am delighted to have him back. He has a lot of experience to share with the players. I can see how closely the younger players listen to him. He could be a key part of our journey to success.
