Arriving in Catalonia with the difficult mission of rebuilding Barça in search of stability, Hansi Flick was initially discreet and hardworking. The German coach, renowned for his rigor, seemed to take the measure of the institution. However, in recent days, information from the Spanish press has caused unexpected disruption. A malaise would exist internally, a spleen which would directly affect the new strong man on the Blaugrana bench.
An annoyance called Lamine Yamal?
According to the daily ABCHansi Flick would have confided in his staff, saying he was “very tired” and even considering leaving at the end of the season. The source of this weariness has a name: Lamine Yamal. The coach would be frustrated by “dispersed attitude” of his young prodigy and by the fact that the club would allow him “all kinds of eccentricities“. A feeling of lack of support which would have undermined the morale of the German technician, anxious to impose his discipline on the entire group, without exception.
This information, if proven, would highlight a first divide between the coach and his management. Having your authority questioned because of the status of a player, no matter how talented, is a situation that few coaches of this caliber would accept. The rumor was serious enough to provoke an immediate reaction at the club’s highest levels.
Laporta puts out the fire and protects his jewel
It didn’t take long for Joan Laporta to speak up. The Barça president brushed aside these assertions, assuring that his coach was far from leaving. “I know Flick is happy at Barça and is excited to return to Spotify Camp Nou”he declared. But it was when discussing the case of Lamine Yamal that the manager was most vehement, calling his player a “genius” and hammering out: “I will protect him. I am by his side.”
By defending his young talent with such force, Laporta sends a double message. He reassures the supporters about the involvement of his coach, but he also reaffirms that Lamine Yamal is an untouchable asset of the club. Between the lines, we understand that Barça will not let anyone, not even their coach, slow down the blossoming of their star. Flick’s spleen, whether real or invented, will at least have had the merit of clarifying the hierarchy of priorities in Catalonia.
