Flick warns Barcelona must manage Yamal's minutes

Hansi Flick was full of praise for Lamine Yamal's "fantastic" performance against Mallorca, but confirmed the forward was substituted as part of a plan to manage his workload.

Barcelona cruised to a comfortable 3-0 LaLiga victory over Mallorca at Camp Nou, with Robert Lewandowski opening the scoring before Yamal stole the show, doubling the Blaugrana's lead with a stunning strike from distance on the hour.

The 18-year-old unleashed a fierce effort from 25 yards out that nestled into the right corner, leaving Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Roman rooted to the spot.

Marc Bernal added further gloss late on, taking Barcelona four points clear of rivals Real Madrid ahead of their meeting with Valencia on Sunday.

"I know at the moment he is enjoying playing football, but also his first half was not at the top level," Flick said of Yamal’s performance.

"He kept his energy for the second half and for the goal. Lamine is fantastic and I asked him [if he’d] let me change and he said okay.

With his strike, Yamal brought up his 24th goal in what was his 92nd LaLiga appearance. This is the most by a player under the age of 19 in Europe's top five leagues in the 21st century, surpassing Kylian Mbappe's tally of 23 goals.

Yamal is but one part of a well-oiled Barcelona attack, which has scored in each of their last 43 LaLiga matches, the club's longest scoring run in the league since going 64 games with a goal from February 2012 to October 2013.

Despite taking a one-goal lead into the break, courtesy of Lewandowski, Flick said he was not content with his side’s first-half display as the Blaugrana struggled to build momentum and hold off a series of Mallorca attacks.

"I asked them if they were satisfied with the first half, and they said they weren't," Flick added.

"We showed them, like we always do, the situations and what we have to make better. It’s about positioning and passing – the quality of the pass and the speed of the pass.

Click here to read article