Barcelona wonderkid not at his best vs Rayo Vallecano – 69% passing accuracy | OneFootball

FC Barcelona came into the league game last night knowing exactly what was on the line. A chance to go back to the top of the table in La Liga presented itself and Hansi Flick & co. would have known just how important it was to take the opportunity conceded to them by Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

Ultimately, the Catalan club prevailed with a slender 1-0 victory over an impressive Rayo Vallecano side with Robert Lewandowski emerging as the match-winner. Inigo Martinez was fouled inside the box and the Polish striker made no mistake in stepping up and dispatching his spot-kick.

So far this season, Barcelona’s attack has been working like a well-synchronized and directed harmony, and players like Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have been incredibly consistent. However, the former had a rare off-day at the office against Rayo last night.

As per stats from SofaScore, by his own lofty standards, the 17-year-old attacker had a very poor game. Lamine played the entire 90 minutes on the night, recording an xG of 0.36 and an xA of 0.10. He missed a couple of guilt-edge chances in front of goal.

The teenager recorded 56 touches on the ball, completing just 69% of his 29 attempted passes. His creative boots were not on show last night either, with the Spaniard just recording one key pass and completing two out of his three attempted crosses.

As always, Lamine did manage to complete three dribbles out of the five that he attempted, and defensively, he was as committed as ever, winning 6 out of his 13 attempted ground duels. While the numbers in themselves are not that bad, the 17-year-old is bound to be judged by the lofty standards that he has set for himself.

Knowing Lamine Yamal and having followed his career for the past 18-odd months, one can safely assume that he will find a way to bounce back in the coming game. All eyes will be on the Spaniard come the weekend against Las Palmas and let’s wait and see if he can make up for one of his poorest games in his Barcelona career.