Barcelona is hit with yet another setback ahead of their first home game of the La Liga season as Lamine Yamal has been ruled out of the clash against Valencia. But the absence of the 18-year-old is not the only headline — manager Hansi Flick used his pre-match press conference to send a seven-word warning to the Spanish national team, voicing frustration about how the youngster was handled during the international break.
The timing could not be worse for Barcelona. Not only are the Blaugrana hosting Valencia at the Estadi Johan Cruyff this weekend, but they are just days away from traveling to England for their UEFA Champions League opener against Newcastle — a match where every detail matters.
Confirming the news to the media, Flick made it clear that his brightest attacking talent would be nowhere near the pitch: “Lamine will not be available — for me it’s a pity. He went to the national team with pain, he did not train, he got painkillers for playing,” the German said on Saturday.
Flick’s criticism quickly turned into a passionate rebuke of Spain’s management of his player, revealing that Yamal had been forced to play significant minutes despite his physical issues. “In every match they were three goals (or more) ahead, he played 79 and 73 minutes. Between the matches he didn’t train,” the German said, before delivering the seven-word message that will surely spark debate: “This is not taking care of players.”
He added that while he respects Spain’s quality, there must be better coordination to protect young stars like Yamal: “Spain have best team in the world, best players in the world. Maybe also when we want to take care of players, young players, it’s like that, doing this… I’m really sad about this.”
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Communication breakdown with De la Fuente
Flick admitted that he had not spoken directly with Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente, suggesting that poor communication may have worsened the situation. “Maybe it’s all about my Spanish not being good, his English not good. Communication… there could be better,” Flick explained.
The Barcelona boss, who previously coached the German national team, also drew from his own experience: “I was also on this side, (coaching a) national team, and I know how hard this job can be, but the communication with the clubs was always good.“
