Barcelona suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in LaLiga on Sunday, marking their second loss of the season. The Catalans were without young prodigy Lamine Yamal, who was sidelined due to injury. After the match, head coach Hansi Flick issued a pointed message to Spain’s Federation regarding the player’s health.
“The doctors will handle it; they will speak with the Federation’s medical team. I believe that if he didn’t play today, there weren’t any options. We have to accept it, and the Federation will make the right decision,” said the German coach when asked about Yamal’s potential involvement with the Spanish national team during the upcoming international break.
“I have also been in the Federation’s position. You have to accept it; they will make the right decision, I’m sure, because Lamine is very important to them as well, of course,” he added.
Ahead of Sunday’s match, Barcelona confirmed that Yamal had sustained “a severe right ankle contusion in last Wednesday’s game against Red Star Belgrade.” While he has been undergoing treatment, the discomfort has persisted, and his recovery will dictate his availability.
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona leaves the field after the La Liga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
On Saturday, Flick explained, “Lamine was inside and he did specific strength training. He has had a lot of matches in the last few weeks so we took care of him and let him (train separately) indoors.”
see also
Not Lamine Yamal: Barcelona star emulating Messi's production in 2024 Champions League
Yamal’s injury concerns
This is not Yamal’s first injury scare with Spain. During the last international break, he returned to Barcelona early after picking up a minor injury in Spain’s 1-0 win over Denmark. At the time, the RFEF described it as “a case of muscle strain.”
Despite the scare, Yamal didn’t miss any matches for Barcelona, starting in their next game against Sevilla. However, according to Sport, Barcelona planned to “implement a workload management plan” for the academy graduate, aiming to reduce his match load for the remainder of the year.
see also
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record under threat by Barcelona star Lewandowski
The report noted that Flick and Barcelona’s sporting management “are aligned in a strategy to avoid overburdening him with unnecessary minutes.” So far this season, Yamal has featured in 16 matches for Barcelona, playing 1,310 minutes out of a possible 1,440.
Spain’s upcoming matches in the Nations League
Spain is set to face Denmark in Copenhagen on Friday, November 15, for Matchday 5 of the UEFA Nations League. Four days later, they will host Switzerland in Tenerife on Monday, November 18. La Roja currently sits atop Group 4 in League A with 10 points.
