Calm reigns in Barcelona. Neither the setbacks against Real Sociedad (1-0) and Celta (2-2), nor the loss of Lamine Yamal, undermine Hansi Flick’s confidence in his boys. “We continue on our path. And we are all fine with it. The players know what we have to improve. We have already talked about it.” The coach was the first (practically the only) critic when analyzing Barcelona’s match in Vigo. He was also (the only one) tough when it came to demanding greater concentration from his players in the Balaídos locker room. However, the critical and harsh Flick is sympathetic. “We are a young team that is doing very well, in the last games not so much but we can learn from it.” The Barça coach is aware of what he manages, a squad that is as young as it is healthy, surprisingly leader in the League and willing to cling to the group of the top eight in the Champions League group against Brest (at 9:00 p.m., Movistar Liga de Champions).
In the offices of the Ciudad Deportiva, confidence rests both in Flick’s work and in the talent of La Masia. “We know that the kids are in a learning process. You can understand what happened in Vigo. But we also know that it is Flick who has trusted them. Absolute tranquility”, they assure from the Barcelona sports area. “For us,” Hansi Flick intervenes, “the important thing is that the players know how good they are. They have to be sure of their quality. We want to teach them that they must play together and have good relationships on the field. It’s incredible to see how they can play, but that has to be transferred to the game. And that’s what we focus on.”
The problem is that Flick still cannot count on Lamine Yamal for the duel against Brest. The forward, according to the club’s statement, suffered a grade 1 sprain in his right ankle. An injury that left him out of the games against Real and Celta. In both, Barça left points. The same thing that had already happened to the Blaugrana when Lamine came onto the field from the bench in the defeat against Osasuna. “Lamine has a quality that allows the team to control the ball, but also causes the opponent to give us more space. I think and hope that it will be the last game that is lost. It was very good, but we will have to wait,” said Hansi Flick.
Lamine’s absence
Not only the coaching staff relies on the 17-year-old forward. “We know the importance of Lamine. I’m not going to deny it, it gives us a lot and is very unbalancing. He pushes the defensive line back: he confronts, generates assists and a lot of fear. It is vital, but there is plenty of squad to win all the games and not because it is not there we have to lose or win,” added Iñigo Martínez.
It turns out, in any case, that Lamine’s absence is not the only headache for Flick. Balde will not be in the Champions League either after missing the duel against Celta. The left back was precisely one of Barça’s weaknesses in Vigo, after the German replaced Gerard Martín with Héctor Fort at halftime. “We arrived with the same physical level as in the previous games, the same in Vigo as against Bayern. It’s not a matter of physics, it’s a matter of mistakes. There are many things we can do better with and without the ball,” concludes Hansi Flick.
The coach accepted the challenge of leading a young dressing room until it became one of the sensations of Spain (0-4 at the Bernabéu) and of Europe (4-1 against Bayern), as well as the responsibility of challenging them in adversity, after adding one point from the last six. Tough and critical, also understanding, Flick accepts that the ball is in his court.
