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Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal is regaining his form and confidence, according to the club's head coach, Hansi Flick. The 19-year-old winger, who was the La Liga Player of the Year last season, has been a subject of concern after a less-than-impressive start to the new campaign.
Yamal struggled in Barcelona's opening match of the season against Elche, but his performance against Athletic Bilbao in the second game of the season showed a marked improvement, despite not scoring. Flick has been pleased with Yamal's progress and believes the player is on the right track to returning to his best.
"The situation with Lamine is that everyone is worried about how he's doing, and of course, we've seen his struggles," Flick told reporters on Sunday. "But look at his situation – he played a World Cup after a huge injury. He's coming back after three weeks holiday, and the first game maybe wasn't his best. But I was very happy that he started the game and worked for the team."
The Spanish World Cup winner, who suffered a hamstring injury in April, returned to action at the tournament but had limited impact individually. Flick acknowledged that Yamal's return to full fitness and form has been gradual, but he is confident that the player is making progress.
"He played 90 minutes against Bilbao, and for him at the moment, it's also good to have 90 minutes on the pitch," Flick continued. "We saw him in some situations really on this top level. And now, you couldn't see this in the training today, but I saw it, and it was excellent."
Yamal's performance in the match against Athletic Bilbao was encouraging, with the coach noting that the winger stepped up a gear after the break. The teenager, who seemed in a bad mood after the game against Elche, appeared happier in training before the upcoming clash against Rayo Vallecano.
"I'm also not smiling every day. It's like that," Flick said, emphasizing that players, like everyone else, have their ups and downs. "Of course, it's always good when the players are smiling, but it's not every day the same way."
Barcelona has won both of their opening fixtures of the season, with Raphinha playing as a makeshift number nine after the champions were unable to secure top target Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid. Flick is happy with his team's performance so far and believes that the club is making progress in strengthening its squad.
"Of course, I'm happy with my team," Flick said. "[Sporting director] Deco is working on that to strengthen the team. We don't have pressure. We don't have pressure, and I'm content with the players available to me if we don't sign a new striker."
The coach's faith in Yamal is evident, and the player seems to be responding positively to the support. As Barcelona prepares for the upcoming matches, the focus will be on Yamal's continued improvement and contribution to the team's success.
The young winger's journey back to the top level has been a long and challenging one, but the signs are promising. With Flick's guidance and the support of the club and fans, Yamal could soon be back to his best and contributing significantly to Barcelona's bid for another La Liga title.
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