Hansi Flick believes Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal has the potential to ‘attain a higher level.’
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick stated that Lamine Yamal has the potential to elevate his performance further after the young player excelled against Elche in Saturday’s 3-1 LaLiga triumph.
The 18-year-old Yamal netted his fourth goal in five matches as Barça increased their lead at the top of the standings to four points ahead of Real Madrid’s upcoming match against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
With nine league goals this season—already matching his total from the previous year—Yamal also created eight opportunities, including one that set up Marcus Rashford for Barça’s third goal.
“It’s significant for the team and the club,” Flick remarked in a press conference when asked to evaluate Yamal’s performance at the Estadio Martínez Valero. “It’s beneficial for everyone when he plays at a high level. He is young enough to develop, to have potential, and to reach another level. I believe that will happen.”
Barça took an early lead in the sixth minute when Yamal rounded goalkeeper Iñaki Peña, who is on loan at Elche from the Catalan club, but Álvaro Rodríguez equalized for the home side after 30 minutes.
Ferran Torres’ 12th LaLiga goal of the season restored Barça’s advantage before halftime, and Rashford sealed the victory in the 72nd minute, bringing his total to 10 goals in all competitions since joining from Manchester United last summer.
However, it was notable that the league leaders took so long to secure the win on a night when they recorded an expected goals (xG) of 6.52, surpassing the previous highest xG of the Flick era, which was 5.09 against Mallorca in 2024.
Torres was particularly guilty of squandering opportunities, accumulating an xG of 3.0 on his own and hitting the crossbar twice, while Fermín López and Rashford also missed chances, with Olmo being denied by the woodwork as well.
“Difficult question,” Flick chuckled when asked if he was frustrated with his team’s finishing. “It was crucial that we secured three points today. We played a fantastic match except in the final stages of the pitch.”
“The positive aspect is that we were alert from the very start of the game and created numerous chances. However, we failed to convert them; that is the downside.”
Flick also minimized any concerns regarding Raphinha and Jules Koundé, who both could not complete the match, indicating that they were substituted more as a precaution than anything else.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong, on the other hand, mentioned that Barça still has significant room for improvement as they compete on three fronts—LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League—after dominating the midfield in Pedri’s absence.
“I still don’t believe we’ve reached our peak performance, but we’re functioning well as a team,” he told reporters following the victory. “We created many chances tonight, which is positive, as we typically have players who finish well; today, perhaps not as well, but it’s three more points, which is essential.”
“It was just unfortunate because we have seen throughout the season that we have players who score frequently. If we continue to create those opportunities, we will win matches.”
