Lamine Yamal and the two faces of Barca: A lesson in humility

Bitter lesson

“If Lamine Yamal was angry after the first leg, imagine how he was after the second leg,” a member of the Barcelona delegation shared after losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals .

Lamine Yamal disappointed after losing to Inter. Photo: EFE

The story revolves around the rage of Lamine Yamal , a 17-year-old boy who puts on his shoulders the burden of leading Barca. That pressure does not crush him, but on the contrary, gives him strength.

Last season, Robert Lewandowski warned Xavi Hernandez's coaching staff about Lamine Yamal's uncontrollable personality (they had a few cold exchanges during the match): "We are creating a monster" .

However, the talent of the player who grew up in La Masia continued to develop, along with his growing influence in the dressing room and the club.

Barcelona's leadership understands this: Yamal wants a new contract (which will be officially signed when he turns 18) that is worthy of his constantly rising class.

Coach Hansi Flick is also aware of that, having faced the personality of a star who is more established than emerging many times.

In this context, a big question is being asked at the heart of Joan Gamper: how will Lamine Yamal cope with defeat, especially after he challenged those who thought he was arrogant before the Inter game.

Yamal suffered the biggest defeat of his career. Photo: Imago

“To those who say I am arrogant, I just want to say: as long as you win, you have nothing to say,” Yamal declared.

After a historic 13-goal semi-final, Inter eliminated Barcelona. It was a bitter lesson for the whole team, and a lesson in humility for Yamal.

Now he himself will have to learn to control his own personality. There is still time, but since the defeat to Inter, a new generation of leaders has emerged: Yamal makes no secret of seeing himself as a pillar of the team. “I will keep my promise and bring the Champions League to Barcelona” .

Promising future

Lamine Yamal's fierce desire contrasts with a character that still needs to be polished. Yamal has two sides, as do Flick's Barcelona : talented but immature; arrogant but inexperienced.

“In just 2-3 years, with the current crop of players, Barca will become the strongest team in the world ,” said Inter CEO Beppe Marotta.

Lamine Yamal faced defeat and stood up. Photo: EFE

“This generation will win many Champions Leagues because they have enormous talent , ” declared centre-back Ronald Araujo at the Giuseppe Meazza.

Those talents include Yamal, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Casado, Marc Bernal (injured). The "oldest" person in this group is Pedri (22 years old).

“It hurts ,” Pedri regretted. “The team gave their all and deserved to be in the final, but we are young and need to learn from the defeat. Next year, we will be stronger . ”

“The match in Milan was a big shock ,” a source from Barca’s sporting department admitted; “but this is a young team, both the advantages and disadvantages come from that . ”

The advantage lies in talent, the disadvantage is the lack of experience in decisive situations.

However, Jordi Cruyff – former Barca sports advisor, currently an advisor to the Indonesian national team – son of the great Johan Cruyff, praised: “If my father were alive, he would choose this style of play. He would be very proud of the team and the way they played. If you have to lose, lose this way” .

Barca's defense concedes too many goals and is prone to making mistakes in the Champions League. Photo: EFE

Barca have scored 43 goals in the Champions League this season, but conceded 24 in 14 games. The Blaugrana's shaky defense is the reason why they were eliminated: no team has ever conceded 1.71 goals per game and reached the final.

Notably, 25% of the goals conceded came in the last 15 minutes. Lacking collective ingenuity, Barcelona also made individual mistakes.

Cubarsi took too much risk in the penalty situation that led to Lautaro Martinez; Araujo was involved in both goals, so Deco is considering selling him. Flick still has a lot of work to do.

This weekend is the El Clasico that will decide La Liga against Real Madrid (9:15 p.m. on May 11). In Montjuic, people are waiting to see how Lamine Yamal will overcome the defeat.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/lamine-yamal-va-2-mat-barca-bai-hoc-cay-dang-ve-su-khiem-ton-2399236.html