Barcelona manager Hansi Flick credited the return of teenage star Lamine Yamal to the starting line-up for inspiring his team to a dominant 5-1 victory over Mallorca on Tuesday. Yamal, who had been sidelined for four weeks due to an ankle injury, had seen Barcelona struggle in his absence, picking up just one point from three La Liga matches. This allowed Real Madrid to close the gap to just one point at the top of the standings.
The win against Mallorca ended Barcelona’s three-match winless run, and Flick highlighted Yamal’s crucial role in the team’s success. “Yamal was very important for us today; he always brings positive energy to the team,” Flick said in an interview with Movistar Plus. “He could have scored once or twice, and played really well.”
Despite a first-half equalizer from Mallorca after Barcelona had taken the lead, Flick was pleased with his team’s overall performance. “We had a lot of chances in the first half, we scored, and even though they equalized on a counter-attack, we kept pushing,” he added. “The whole team is happy with the way things went tonight.”
Flick also noted that Barcelona didn’t need their star striker Robert Lewandowski to deliver, as the Polish forward was given a rest after starting every one of Barcelona’s previous 20 matches. Ferran Torres, who replaced Lewandowski, took advantage of poor defending by Mallorca to give Barcelona an early lead with a well-executed strike.
“Lewandowski needed a rest, we had to look after him,” Flick explained. “Ferran had a very good game and scored the first goal, which is important for him too. He’s always there when we need him. Today, we didn’t need to play Lewandowski.”
With the win, Barcelona remain top of the La Liga standings with 37 points, four ahead of second-place Real Madrid, who have two games in hand. Atletico Madrid sit third with 32 points and one game in hand.
