Lamine Yamal is shouldering too much responsibility at Barcelona as familiar holes in Hansi Flick's game plan threaten to derail trophy hopes

Yamal has recorded 28 goal involvements in 32 appearances for Barca so far in 2025-26, with eight of those coming since the turn of the year. It's fair to say he's carried Barca at times, especially in their win-or-bust Champions League clash with Copenhagen, an unconvincing home victory over Real Oviedo in La Liga, and the narrow triumph against second-tier Albacete in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

Sustaining that was always going to be incredibly difficult, though. After scoring again in a 3-0 rout of Mallorca, Yamal asked to come off with 12 minutes left to play as clear signs of fatigue set in. Despite Flick subsequently stressing the need to manage the youngster's gametime, he has played every minute of Barca's last two games, starting with the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid.

Yamal continued to push himself to the limit, registering three key passes, five successive dribbles and six recoveries, while winning 13 ground duels, but his toils were ultimately in vain as Atletico kept him away from the danger area. Diego Simeone's team ran out comprehensive 4-0 winners after ruthlessly exploiting Flick's high line to leave the holders needing a miracle in the second leg at Camp Nou.

The Blaugrana then travelled to Girona for a Catalan derby clash on Monday, where opposing manager Michel aimed to copy Simeone's blueprint for stifling Yamal.

"Their right flank is one of their weapons, because of Lamine Yamal. He’s very difficult to stop because now, in addition to his individual skill, he also has the passing ability," Michel said. "Most dribblers struggle to look far ahead and deliver that cross or that forward pass, but with Lamine, if you give him an inch so he can’t face you head-on, he’ll deliver the pass. 

"He’ll deliver the pass with the outside of his foot and he’ll deliver the cross. And then, if you stay too close to him, he’ll dribble past you. So, we’re talking about a game-changing player. I don’t want to give you any clues, but obviously the way you apply pressure is very important. You have to give Lamine Yamal a bit of a hard time."

Girona didn't really succeed in that aspect as Yamal racked up seven shots and created more chances than anyone on the pitch (four). They did, however, still manage to pull off a famous 2-1 victory that knocked Barca off the Liga summit, and Yamal was guilty of letting his standards slip.

For all of the La Masia gem's huff and puff, he lacked his usual composure in the final third, losing possession 24 times, and hit the woodwork from the penalty spot when the scoreline was 0-0. Yamal appeared to be run down, his decision-making blunted and execution erratic. That was seemingly confirmed after the final whistle by Bojan Krkic Sr, who is privy to the goings on at Barca because his son currently serves as a football coordinator and liaison for the club.

"Lamine was playing with a fever and on medication," he said to Cadena SER. "He had a stomach ache before the match, he wasn't feeling well."

Flick obviously felt that he couldn't afford to rest Yamal, having only just welcomed Raphinha back from injury, and with chief playmaker Pedri still out with a hamstring issue. The Barca boss need only to have looked at the statistics to realise it was a counter-productive move, though. When Yamal is misfiring or only half-fit, the team tends to falter.

Indeed, Barca have lost four out of the nine games in which Yamal has not scored or laid on an assist this season, including against Paris Saint-Germain and away at Real Madrid, when he was playing through the discomfort caused by a chronic pubalgia issue. Flick needs to squeeze far more out of the supporting cast to address this.

Ferran Torres is the only Barca player with more goals in all competitions than Yamal (16 to 15), which shows they're too dependent on the teenager to be the ultimate difference maker. That can mostly be put down to the continued physical struggles of Raphinha, who has just 12 goal involvements to his name after sitting out 13 games.

The Brazilian was equally as influential as Yamal during the Blaugrana's run to a domestic treble last term, and his absence has opened up a creative void which Yamal can't fill alone. With veteran striker Robert Lewandowski reduced to an impact substitute, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez have to deliver more consistently; the onus shouldn't always be on an 18-year-old.

Yamal is in danger of burning out. Amid the constant comparisons to Messi, everyone seems to have forgotten that the Barcelona icon took time before unlocking his full potential, initially taking a backseat to star performers such as Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o after his breakthrough in 2004. Messi was not expected to single-handedly win games until Pep Guardiola came in as manager in 2008 and built the team around the diminutive Argentine.

To further illustrate that point, Messi only played 34 games across his first two full seasons in the Barca senior team, compared to the staggering 103 Yamal has appeared in since debuting as a 15-year-old. He has risen to the role of undisputed talisman far quicker than the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner did.

Other trappings come with that overnight success, such as excess away from the game, which Yamal fell foul of at his extravagant 18th birthday party. He's also exhibited the tell-tale symptoms of an overinflated ego on occasion, most notably when he accused arch-rivals Real Madrid of always "stealing and complaining" before the first Clasico of the campaign, putting a target on his back that ultimately led to Barca's downfall.

None of that is abnormal, and Yamal will continue to make mistakes, learn and grow. It's up to Barca to make the process easier. That means moderating his workload at a time when increased fixture congestion poses a real threat to his development. Flick has to make good on his promise to be more careful with Yamal, or else he will be more susceptible to a total loss of confidence and serious injury.

One thing that would definitely help Yamal is if Barca sort out their glaring defensive issues. Flick's 'outscore everyone' philosophy is fine when Yamal and Co are all operating at their maximum, but as soon as their levels dip, the Spanish champions are more vulnerable than any other elite side.

Flick's obsession with territorial control pushes the back four right up to the halfway line, and they're therefore too easy to play through. Their high press is failing, with the midfield overrun at will, particularly since losing Pedri to his hamstring issue on January 1. Gavi, a long-term absentee, has also been missed as Frenkie de Jong and Olmo have proven to be incompatible. 

None of this is new, though. Barca were dumped out of last season's Champions League at the semi-final stage after a counter-attacking masterclass across two legs from Inter, and they were battered 4-1 at Sevilla in October after a similarly naïve performance. Re-signing Joao Cancelo on loan in January hasn't fixed anything; Barca need to completely overhaul the defence and bring in a Rodri-type midfield enforcer.

Unfortunately, though, they're not in a strong enough financial position to do that, and so it's up to Flick to adapt to better play to the strengths of the players he has. Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde and Gerard Martin are all too inexperienced for the current set-up, while Eric Garcia is better suited to building play than pushing up and Ronald Araujo is not adept enough positionally. Meanwhile, Jules Kounde's best qualities continue to go to waste in an unnatural right-back role.

Barca have a clear identity, but are arguably regressing because of Flick's stubbornness. Their matches often resemble basketball games with no sense of control, and exhaustion is sweeping through the dressing room as a consequence.

Flick is, however, likely to cling to the belief in his all-star frontline. With Raphinha now back in the fold, and Pedri expected to return for Barcelona's home clash with Levante on Sunday alongside Rashford after his own recovery from a minor knee problem, they should be able to avoid a third successive loss that would spark a full-blown crisis, having slipped two points behind Madrid at the top of the table.

Levante have only picked up one point from their last four and sit in 19th, with relegation looming. If ever there was a game to grant Yamal a breather, this is it. Flick needs him at 100 percent for the trip to third-placed Villarreal on February 28 and the return leg of the Copa tie against Atletico five days later - which could still be salvaged given how erratic the Rojiblancos' form has been in recent weeks - not to mention the last 16 of the Champions League in mid-March.

Keeping Yamal fit and happy has to be the club's top priority. Just because he's already the best player in the world in the eyes of many doesn't mean he should be front and centre in every minute of every game. Spain national team manager Luis de la Fuente will no doubt feel the same as he looks ahead to La Roja's 2026 World Cup bid. 

Refreshingly, Barcelona's newest hero isn't driven by a desire to be the main character all the time. "My goal isn’t to break all records, to score a million goals, to play a million matches. I’m an athlete who wants to enjoy himself," Yamal said in an interview with CBS in December. "I hope kids want to be like me. In the end, the goal is for people to enjoy and deliver a bit of a show in football."

As long as Yamal is enjoying his football, everyone will keep tuning in for the show. It's up to Barca to ensure his smile doesn't fade under the weight of unfair expectations.