Flick concerned by Barca’s poor form without Yamal

BARCELONA : Barcelona’s recent form is a major worry, manager Hansi Flick conceded on Monday as they slipped to a second successive LaLiga game without a win but the German is hopeful forward Lamine Yamal can soon return from injury to boost the side.
The Spanish teenager is still recovering from an ankle sprain but Flick’s team can get back to winning ways without him when they host French side Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“We all know how talented he (Yamal) is and how his quality on the pitch can impact a game,” Flick told a press conference.
“Lamine has a quality that allows you to have more control of possession but also makes the opponent give us more space.
“I think and hope that this will be the last game he misses because today he was looking very good (in training) but we will have to wait. I hope that on Saturday he will be an option… maybe from the bench… but we’ll see.”
Following a remarkable seven-game winning streak that started in October, Barca then stumbled to a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad and a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo with Yamal absent from both games.
Flick, who took charge of Barca in May, said his young squad needed to learn to cope with adversity and that a positive result against Brest would be a good start.
“The important thing is to win and that is our focus for tomorrow’s game,” Flick said.
“We have a young team, the youngest in LaLiga and it’s not always an easy ride… It is important that the players know that they are good, that they have quality and that they have to stick together.
“We want to teach them and I always think positive, it’s a young team and during the season it’s normal to have times like this, for me the important thing is to learn from it.”
Defender Inigo Martinez backed his teammates to overcome Yamal’s absence.
“We know how important Lamine is… he gives us a lot, is a difference maker who pushes the defensive line back, he is aggressive, generates assists and a lot of fear in the opponent,” Martinez said.
“He is vital and very important, but that doesn’t mean that the next player to come on won’t be up to the similar level.
“Anyone who jumps in at Barcelona needs to be capable of playing at the highest level. The day that Lamine (Yamal) doesn’t play and we win, this chat that we can’t win without him will vanish. We have enough (in the) squad to win every game.”