🚨 Raphinha set to return from hamstring injury 🚨 + Managing Lamine Yamal's minutes | ESPN FC

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How Barcelona should manage Raphinha and Lamine Yamal

ESPN FC discuss how Barcelona handle Raphinha's return from a hamstring injury and Lamine Yamal's workload. The panel argues Barcelona are in strong enough form to avoid risking Raphinha, while Yamal needs a careful mix of rest, recovery and man-management.

Don Hutchison, Shaka Hislop and Steve Nicol join Kay Murray on ESPN FC to discuss Raphinha's return from his hamstring injury and how Hansi Flick should manage his and Lamine Yamal's minutes. ✔️ Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited: https://plus.espn.com/ ESPN ESPNFC

Transcript

Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPNFC. K Murray, Shaka Hisop, and Stevie Nickel on his high chair today. Try to be a little bit high and mighty ahead of the rest of us. We are kicking things off in La Liga because it is a big weekend where four of the top five teams will be facing one another. This is how the table is looking right now. Barcelona in first will be taking on third place Real Bettis and Real Madrid in fourth will be taking on fifth place Sevilla. But let's focus first on that game between Bettis and Barca on Saturday. Rafinia is fit and available for the trip. The leading scorer is back, but we did hear from Hansy Flick on how he is going to manage the minutes of Rafinia going forward. >> I think when you ask him, he will be ready for from from the beginning. But you know for me it's it's a step by step and and uh he yesterday he trained with the team and and doing good and uh we have a lot of games the next the next uh days or weeks and and so we have to adapt this and um manage it and uh but the good thing is that he's available and also Frankie. So >> yeah Frankie Dong back too and Don Hutcherson joining us. But let me kick things off with you, Stevie, because Hanty Flick there has talked about something many a manager will hear. The player wanting to play every single minute of every single game and feeling ready to do so, but the manager having to know how to manage that and how to be cautious. How do you balance it? >> Well, the fact that the Barcelona right now are just sailing along u makes it pretty straightforward. You know, Hansen Flick does not have to start him. In fact, if Hans Flick feels like it, he don't doesn't even have to bring him on if if the team don't need him. And quite frankly, right now, whether it's Rafiniah or anybody else dropping out, Barcelona right now, regardless of who's in or who's out, are just in such a rich fan of form that it it almost seems it doesn't really matter who's playing or who's not, they're going to create, they're going to score goals, they're going to win games. So, right now, this is a great scenario for Anthony Flick. The other side of the coin would be struggling. You're desperate for your key guys to to play to be at the best. Then you start taking chances with something like a hamstring. But right now, Hansy Flick doesn't need to take a chance on Rafinho whatsoever. And in fact, I would suggest that if he doesn't need him, he won't even touch your ball against realis. >> Yeah, you mentioned hamstring because this is Don his fifth hamstring injury in the last three seasons. as a player, how does chronic injury like this impact these games and these stretches that come where you're feeling good, but you know that that is always a risk? >> Yeah, he seems a good character. I like what Hansy Flick had to say there where he said, "If you ask him, you'll want to play 90." And and that's valuable for a coach. You know, you sometimes the modern day pro can say, "Well, I'm not quite right. You might want to put me on the bench." No, no, no. Not not with Rafinha. He wants to play. I think the important thing is with the Eláico coming up um in between the sort of Champions League game with a new format and the Champions League, they can actually afford to completely rest him because you can lose a couple of games in this format in the Champions League and get ready for the Real Madrid game. So, I would imagine you'll see a scenario if they're comfortable against Bettis, he might get half an hour. If he's not needed and he fancies a stretch, he might get 10. But then the games after that, I I don't even see him starting against PSG. He might play, he's got good options. He can play Danny Almo as a number nine Anthony Gordon off the left or vice versa. He's got plenty of options. So, there's no need to go full strength against PSG unless you're really trying to flex your muscles. It all seems to me about managing his minutes and making sure he's completely ready for the Real Madrid game. >> Do you agree with that, Sh? Because it's not like they've slowed down without him. This could all be a warm-up for Eláico. >> Yeah. Her Galatasay, no Rafinho, no problem for Barcelona. Listen, that's not to um discount Rafinho's impact during the course of this season. Arguably, he's been the best player um in world football to date, but Barcelona have been able to cope without him. Nothing's ever been won in in in October and as difficult a stretch of games as this is bett PSG, Real Madrid, Sydney on paper, you want Rafiniah later on in in the season. So, you don't want to take that risk with Rafinho if you don't have to. And right now Barcelona and Hansy Flick simply don't have to. >> Yeah, Hansy Flick also acknowledged that he needs to manage the minutes of Lamin Yamal who's been playing a lot recently. He started every game for club and country so far this season. So on rotating him, Flick said, "It's Lem. He's a special player. I know we have to manage his minutes, but for Leamine the most important thing is he enjoys playing football. At the moment it's like this and I don't want to interrupt this situation, but I know we have to manage his minutes. Stevie, again, this is a young kid. He wants to play all the time. He's making a difference in every game he plays. How do you deal with this? >> Well, it seems it seems a completely different scenario because you know that if he turns around to Rafinia and says, "Look, we don't need you to play here. We really want you to do this." Rafina is just going to sit and go, "Yeah, boss. Hey, listen. You don't want to play, but I understand. Uh, and if if you think I shouldn't start, then that's fine. Yamal doesn't seem to be that type. Yamal seems so far in his career when he's not playing, when he thinks he's fit, he looks as though he's taking a little bit of the huff. And so, it's a completely different scenario. But Hans Flick has shown since he went to Barcelona that not only does he know what he's doing tactically, but he knows he knows how to to treat his players, he knows his players inside out, and he's been able to keep them all happy. and he's been able to do the same thing with Yamal. And so I guess for for Hansy Flick it may be a case of okay, we we start Yamal and then once the game's done then it's a lot easier to explain to him and calm him down and say the game's over, you've done your part, have a rest. >> It's a different scenario because in Rafini you're talking about an experienced professional. In Lamin you're talking about still a kid despite what his performances may may say. the minimal is is still is still a kid. And now the counter to to to C's point about starting him and if the game is won um you take him off in theory that that works wonderfully well but it's bets are are playing incredible football this season. What if it's not? What if it's still a tight game? just as de laente in the last window where he had this understanding that Lamin would only play a certain number of minutes but then all of a sudden the game got a little bit tighter than he expected and he kept him on for a little bit longer than he promised. Those situations again are difficult to balance. So it's I guess this is why Hansy Flick gets gets paid those those big bucks because he's got to balance all of that and put out a winning team on the weekend and see them through to the end of the season. and Hansy Flick. This is not just about cowtowing to a young player. This is about trying to do it in a certain manner. And if it gets to a stage where Yamal's not accepting it, then Hans Flick has to bring the hammer down and just say, "Right, I've had enough of this. I'm in charge here. I run the show. You do as I say, so go away." That that's that's the last scenario. But if that's needed, then he has to get it. >> Was Was that you putting your hammer down? >> Absolutely. It really was. I mean, John, we've seen with many a footballer though, there's some players who do just seem to be able to play all the time, and that's just the way it is. >> Yeah, Messi was one of them. I think it's interesting you asked the question, K, to three ex players, and we've all got an idea on how you manage whether it's Yamal or Rafiniah, it's starting them, bringing them off or or or vice versa, where you're on the bench and you and you come on for half an hour. I think the most important guys at Barcelona now are going to be the data guys and the analysts who, you know, can check whether Yamal's in the red zone at any given time. So, I think maybe the the work that they do and maybe the work for Hansy Flick is not actually managing him on the pitch. to actually manage him in midweek and not loading him too much from a Monday to Friday if the game's on a Saturday or Sunday and just saying, "Well, well, look, we we're going to make sure you are completely rested, whether it's on the bike or in the in the swimming pool or the recovery sessions and the nutrition. There's so much there's so many layers now to the modern pro that they can get help. Um I I think he's one of them, Yamal, where at any given time you don't even need him on the training ground. You have him indoors and you you make sure he eats well, he recovers, and then he's the type of kid to me where I think he can play 90 minutes nearly every single week as long as he gets that recovery, not necessarily in game time, but during the week when he can