Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Lamin Yamal has become more disciplined in a bid to deal with an ongoing thigh problem.
Yamal, 18, missed seven matches for club and country earlier this season due to persistent pubic pubis (a problem that causes chronic pain in the groin area), but has started Barcelona’s last five matches and is managing the problem.
There were signs during Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League, when he scored one goal and set up another, that the teenager is finally nearing his best again, with Flick putting that down to more attention to detail behind the scenes.
“We have to take care of him,” Flick said in a press conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Celta Vigo in the Spanish League.
“For me, he’s changed his discipline. He’s much better now. He’s training really well. And also in the gym, the treatments he gets every day…
“It’s important with this injury that he does it this way. I also think he’s back to his best level, but it’s not over yet, so this injury isn’t over.”
Yamal, who scored five goals and provided five assists in 10 matches he played for Barcelona this season, will join the Spain national team after Sunday’s match in Vigo.
It was with the national team that he was the first to suffer a thigh problem, which led to a rift between club and country, and Flick will hope La Roja can be rational with his playing time as they try to book their place in next summer’s World Cup next week when they face Georgia and Turkey.
Flick added: “We have to take care of him, but not only us, but also the national team.”
Getting Yamal on the pitch again could be vital to Barcelona’s return to top form after winning just three of their last seven matches in all competitions.
Flick attributed the team’s latest setback, a draw in Belgium against Brugge, to a lack of combat, and says he expects more from his players against an in-form Celta side in Balaidos this weekend.
He said about his team’s decline: “For me, it is important, and it is not an excuse. It is a fact, that we have a lot of injured players, and they are big players, key players, and this is important for us.”
“We are now in November but we have to continue until May, and it is a long way to go. I know and we all know that we have to play better; for me the important thing is when everyone comes back, after two or three games, maybe they are also at a good level, they can help us a lot.”
“This is the starting point again. But until then, the game (on Sunday), we have to fight. On Wednesday, we couldn’t see that fight that we needed. Hopefully we will see that this time.”
Flick was referring to the absence of the likes of Rafinha, Pedri, Gavi and Joan Garcia, and none of them will return to face Celta.
The German coach said that defender Jules Kounde is also a doubt after leaving training on Saturday, but center back Eric Garcia will be available despite breaking his nose in midweek as he can play with a protective mask.
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Barcelona need a win in Vigo to stay within striking distance of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who are five points clear at the top of the table heading into the weekend, while Celta will hope to continue their good run of form and move into the top half of the table.
Flick said: “Right now, Celta is in a good mood, and they have won the last four matches, so maybe they are in a better position than us.”
“But it’s always about the attitude and the mentality we show. That’s what we talked about this morning. We want to win there. It’s important that we continue the (international) break with three more points. That’s what we want to do on Sunday.”
