Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has criticised the Spanish national team after teenager Lamine Yamal was ruled out of Sunday’s La Liga clash with Valencia due to a groin injury.
The 18-year-old winger missed training with the Spanish champions and is now a doubt for Thursday’s Champions League match against Newcastle. Yamal featured in both of Spain’s World Cup qualifying wins over Bulgaria and Turkey last week, despite carrying pain.
“He will not be available — for me, it’s a pity,” Flick told reporters on Saturday. “He went to the national team already with pain, did not train, and had to take painkillers to play. In both matches, Spain were already three goals ahead, yet he played 79 and 73 minutes. Between the games, he didn’t train. This is not taking care of players.”
Flick praised Spain’s talent pool but urged more responsibility when managing young stars. “Spain have the best players in the world. Maybe also we should think about protecting players — especially young players. I’m really sad about this.”
The German coach revealed he had exchanged brief text messages with Spain boss Luis de la Fuente but admitted their communication “could be better,” citing language barriers. “I know how difficult the job is, but when I was in charge of a national team, communication with clubs was always good.”
Flick also confirmed Frenkie de Jong will miss the Valencia fixture, though midfielder Marc Bernal is set to return after nine months out with a knee injury.
With Camp Nou still under renovation, Barcelona will host Valencia at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, which holds just 6,000 spectators. Flick, however, downplayed any disadvantage: “I spoke with the captains and they said it will not affect us. Of course, it’s different to play at the new Camp Nou with 105,000, but it’s no excuse — Valencia also has to play here.”
