Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has told Lamine Yamal to forget his battle with Marc Cucurella in Tuesday’s defeat to Chelsea and focus on delivering in back-to-back home games against Alavés and Atlético Madrid.
Yamal, 18, was kept quiet during Barça’s 3-0 Champions League loss at Stamford Bridge, leading Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to declare Cucurella had «pocketed» his international teammate.
Flick eventually took Yamal off in the 80th minute, with the teenager appearing upset at being removed, but the Barça boss played down his reaction and challenged him to respond in coming weeks.
«Lamine’s mood is good,» Flick said in a news conference ahead of Saturday’s LaLiga game at Spotify Camp Nou against Alavés.
«A lot of players, when we change them, they are not happy. I was also a player and maybe sometimes I did not show the right reaction, but it’s like that. It’s emotion.
«For me, Cucurella is one of the best left-backs in the world. It’s not easy to play him, he’s very smart, very intelligent in the defence.
«The next step now for Lamine is to show again it’s not about this match, forget it. Alavés is now the important thing and he has to show his best performance, his best level.»
Yamal, who has six goals and seven assists in 13 appearances this season, was not the only Barça player to struggle against Chelsea in midweek.
The manner of the defending in the defeat, which left Barça 18th in the Champions League standings, was also criticised as Chelsea found the net three times and had another three goals disallowed.
Flick conceded the result was hard to take for him and his players, but he remains positive looking forward and told the «experts» that continue to question his team’s tactics that they have «no idea.»
«Of course we are all in a bad mood after the defeat against Chelsea,» the Barça boss added. «We were very disappointed about that because we thought we can win there, but it’s done.
«When we lose and when we concede three goals, it’s very easy to say it was not a good match. But, for me, also to make it clear for all the experts outside, they have no idea how we want to play and what is necessary to play with, I will not say with the high line, but how we want to press.
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«It’s not only about the four defenders. It’s about midfielders, strikers, who start the pressing. This is what I need from every player on the pitch, that he presses. It always comes to the defenders and it’s not fair.
«I said I think positive. We did a lot of things positive, but we have to do better when we start the dynamic, when we start the pressing.»
Flick is confident of seeing a different Barça moving forward. Pedri will return from injury against Alavés and Raphinha is in line to start for the first time since September after coming off the bench in the last two games.
Fermín López has been ruled out for two weeks with a calf injury, though, while Ronald Araújo will also miss the Alavés game with a stomach bug.
«I appreciate the things I see in training, we are focused, we have a lot of quality and players coming back now,» Flick said.
«Pedri is back, so it’s another situation, it increases the quality, Rapha, Marcus [Rashford] after having flu… I have really missed Rapha.
«I see him as one of the most important players in the team, with the philosophy we have and how we want to play. He’s a big positive in our game when we defend, when we start the pressing, but also in transition he’s unbelievably good.
«It’s not for nothing he scored so many goals last season. He has the hunger to show how good he is this season again after a fantastic year last season.»
Barça can, temporarily at least, move to the top of LaLiga with a win against Alavés ahead of current leaders Real Madrid‘s trip to Girona on Sunday.
Flick’s side then turn their attention to Tuesday’s huge league fixture at home to Atlético Madrid, who have won six in a row in all competitions after beating Inter Milan 2-1 in midweek in Europe.
