An insight into the decision of Barcelona head coach Xavi to drop Lamine Yamal to the bench for the club’s showdown with Atlético Madrid has been forthcoming online.
Barca, of course, are primed to return to action in short order.
In the headline fixture of the La Liga weekend, the Blaugrana have made the trip to the Wanda Metropolitano, for a daunting showdown with Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid.
Xavi and co. will head into proceedings in the knowledge that an eventual victory would see them leapfrog Girona into 2nd in the Spanish top-flight table.
And the XI of stars set to be depended upon by the Barca coaching staff in efforts towards precisely that was unveiled a short time ago.
The two major talking points came in the form of one inclusion, and one exclusion.
When it comes to the former, youngster Héctor Fort has been afforded just a 2nd start of the La Liga campaign, owing to the injury-enforced absence of João Cancelo.
Even more headline-grabbing, though, is the fact that Lamine Yamal has been relegated to the bench.
Wide-man Lamine has of course proven himself one of Barcelona’s star performers over recent weeks, with a moment of magic on the part of the 16-year-old having proven enough to guide the Catalans past Mallorca just last weekend.
Why, then, has Raphinha been favoured on Sunday night?
As confirmed by Adrià Albets of Carrusel, citing word stemming from the visitors’ dressing room at the Metropolitano, Lamine’s benching is a ‘technical decision’, amid what has come as an intense week for a player of such tender years:
‘The substitution of Lamine Yamal is Xavi’s decision, he believes that a boy who is only 16 years old and is coming off a very demanding match against Napoli must be measured. Lamine is fine, he has no physical problem, it is simply a technical decision, they say in the locker room.’
Conor Laird | GSFN
