Want to learn more timely sports news and live broadcasts & prevent losing our links? Welcome click here to join our Telegram channel
At present, Lamine Yamal seems to be fighting alone at Barcelona, and the club is in urgent need of providing him with support.
Next Tuesday, all eyes will once again be focused on Yamal. If Barcelona still wants to find a glimmer of hope in the Champions League semi-finals and reverse the 0-2 home defeat to Atletico Madrid in the second leg, Yamal's performance will undoubtedly be crucial. But football is ultimately not a one-man game, and Yamal is in desperate need of his teammates to step up. Despite his extraordinary talent, he cannot shake Atletico Madrid's rock-solid defense alone.
Everything that happened in the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final should serve as a wake-up call for the entire Barcelona team. Time and again, Yamal tried to break through Diego Simeone's side, but every time he got past a defender, Atletico's tight defensive system would instantly close off space through constant supporting and covering. In the first half, Marcus Rashford was able to provide some support on his flank, but after Rashford was substituted, Yamal completely became the only attacking threat in Hansi Flick's team.
A single attacking threat, even if it is Yamal, is easy to defend against. If in previous league matches Yamal only looked angry when he left the field, in this Champions League match, facing being a man down in his own half (Pau Cubarsi was sent off with a straight red card) and the final result, he completely collapsed, his face filled with despair.
Yamal knows very well that after losing 0-2 at home to Atletico Madrid, the probability of advancing to the semi-finals is extremely slim. No one can deceive themselves: in Barcelona's European competition history, there has never been a precedent for reversing such a situation. Although they have come back from two or more goals down several times before, those were all with the home advantage in the second leg. This time, they will have to fight with their backs to the wall away from home. Unless there is a miracle-perfect performance, Barcelona will be eliminated from this top-tier competition.
To create a miracle, it not only requires Yamal to maintain a high level of performance, but also needs his teammates to step up. But this obviously did not happen on Wednesday. For example, Robert Lewandowski was almost "invisible" for 90 minutes, with almost no presence in the attacking end. Ferran Torres's performance after coming on as a substitute was equally disappointing, as the forward has fallen into a slump of failing to score in 13 consecutive matches.
Fermin Lopez and Dani Olmo also did not perform well on the day. Under tight marking from the opponents, it was difficult for them to threaten the opponent's goal. Rashford did try, but his finishing lacked precision. If he had been more accurate that day, the story of the match might have been rewritten, but apparently that day was not his "lucky day". Additionally, don't count on Raphinha, as he will not be able to recover from his injury in time to play next Tuesday.
Before the first leg, Flick stated at the press conference that he did not mind Yamal making mistakes because he would always protect the young player. But the real "protection" is to find more attacking methods for the team, avoiding making the team completely dependent on Yamal alone.
