Hansi Flick says ‘exceptional’ Barcelona talent needed some time to regain his rhythm after injury | OneFootball

After a lightning start to the 2024-25 season, FC Barcelona have slowed down to a significant extent in the last few weeks. This is especially the case in La Liga, where the Blaugranes have won only one of their last five games.

Several factors have been highlighted by observers to explain why the team has slowed down recently, but one of the most noticeable reasons is the absence of Lamine Yamal, who missed the matches against Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo due to injury.

However, Yamal was unable to help Barcelona get the full three points in the two games in which he participated after recovering from his physical issues, against Las Palmas and Real Betis. He also seemed a bit sluggish in these games, which is quite natural for a player returning from a spell on the sidelines.

But tonight, against Borussia Dortmund, the youngster will have another opportunity to showcase his incredible talent at the highest level.

Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, this was one of the subjects Hansi Flick discussed as he addressed the press ahead of this game. The Barcelona coach expressed confidence that Yamal could make a difference against any team.

He also mentioned that while Yamal had recovered from his injury, it took him some time to regain his full rhythm and even labeled him as an ‘exceptional talent’:

“Lamine can play and give his all in every match; he can prove that. He’s an exceptional talent. He got injured and needed some time to regain his rhythm. We fully trust him because he is very important for the team.”

There is no doubt that over the last few months, Yamal has clearly established himself as a key player for Barcelona. He was already a starter under Xavi last season, but this season, under Flick, his importance for the team has increased even more.

Thus, he was missed a lot as the team experienced a difficult patch of form in his absence, and hopefully, his return to full fitness will coincide with Barcelona returning to winning ways, both in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga.