Xavi Hernandez, the manager of Barcelona, explained the decision to sit Lamine Yamal, claiming that Lamine Yamal was benched based on a physical concern as the primary factor.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was grilled on his team’s strategy for Friday’s match against Sevilla, while 16-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal was the subject of a whole round of questions.
Lamine Yamal, who came off the bench for Barcelona and had a significant effect in their midweek match against Real Mallorca, almost won a penalty and set up the equalizer for Fermin Lopez in only 25 minutes of action.
Xavi was questioned about whether he hadn’t thought about starting Lamine Yamal, one of their most valuable players.
“He’s just 16, and his age shows at times, so it’s a physical problem. It’s not necessary to have the ball at your feet to play football. Depending on the opponent or the nature of the game, his age may become an issue, which is why we have to look out for him.
But he is a cheerful young man; he loves football; and he strikes me as physically attractive. The issue is stress on his body, not his mind or spirit.
Even older than Messi was when he was first brought to the Barcelona squad, a certain Lionel Messi was also presented as a child. Xavi said that Frank Rijkaard’s treatment of the Argentine, which he saw firsthand, served as a useful precedent.
Rijkaard’s handling of Leo is a model of effective leadership. Careful attention to detail, a little physical exertion, etc. are required around him. but he’ll be a big help in a number of games for us.
Xavi, for his part, hoped that his team would get the most out of Lamine Yamal.
We need to find football players who can create anything. We need to take advantage of what occurred with Dembele and Messi and use it to our advantage in competition. Lamine needs to have all of his abilities on the field.
It may be argued that no one so young has ever had such a profound effect at the highest level of the game in the contemporary period. Since Xavi Hernandez’s presence makes such a noticeable impact on Barcelona’s inventiveness, his job is that much more challenging.
