Flick hails Yamal return as key for Barca
The return of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was the key behind Barcelona's 5-1 thrashing of Real Mallorca, Blaugrana manager Hansi Flick said.
Spain's Euro 2024 star Yamal had been sidelined for four weeks due to an ankle injury, with Flick's team only taking one point from three games in LaLiga during that time.
Those stumbles allowed Real Madrid to cut Barca's lead at the summit to one point, with Los Blancos still possessing a game in hand. However, Barca responded in emphatic fashion on Wednesday.
"Today he was very important for us, he always generates positive things for the team," Flick said. "He could have scored one or two goals today, he played very well.
"Of course I am happy with the team performance. In the first half we had a lot of chances and we scored, they equalised from a counterattack but we kept going. The entire team is happy with how things went tonight."
Flick did not even need his star striker Robert Lewandowski against Mallorca.
Lewandowski, the leading scorer in LaLiga with 15 goals this campaign, was handed a rest after starting all 20 of Barcelona's previous matches in all competitions.
Lewandowski's replacement, Ferran Torres, pounced on some sloppy defending by Mallorca to give the visitor an early lead, earning praise from his coach.
"Lewandowski needed to rest, we had to look after him," Flick said. "And Ferran had a very good game and scored the first goal, it's very important for him too.
"Whenever we need him, he's always there. Today we didn't need to play Lewandowski."
Barca tops the league on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid which has two games in hand. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, sits third on 32 and has one game in hand.
