Coming out of the Clasico, all the noise has been surrounding Barcelona’s rising superstar Lamine Yamal and his confrontation with the Real Madrid players after the final whistle.
However, the fact that the 18-year-old wonderkid was not at his best in the game at the Santiago Bernabeu and could not influence the proceedings has not been lost.
As already reported, Lamine was not fully fit during the first El Clasico, with the pain from his pubalgia still persisting.
Still not at 100%
Building on that, journalist Helena Condis of COPE reports that as Barcelona continue to prepare for Sunday’s game against Elche, Lamine Yamal is still not feeling 100% fit, and that he is still experiencing discomfort.
The La Masia graduate, as a result, is starting to get worried about his intermittent pubalgia problems.
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona player
Still not 100%. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images for Qatar Airways)
Lamine first experienced the problem in September, when he was forced to play for the Spanish national team despite dealing with discomfort, leading to him missing four games in a row for Barça.
While he briefly returned and played a couple of games against Real Sociedad and PSG, Lamine’s discomfort resurfaced, resulting in him missing the Sevilla clash and sitting out of Spain’s matches earlier this month.
The 18-year-old sensation made his way back to the team after the break, but it is apparent that he has still not reached his 100% fitness and that the pubic discomfort continues to bother him.
So, it will certainly be interesting to see how Hansi Flick & co. opt to deal with the issue, especially given that Barça cannot afford any more early slip-ups.