Barcelona coach Hansi Flick backed his young star Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d'Or, while stressing the need to spread minutes and manage rotation ahead of the clash with Racing Santander in the sixth round of the Spanish league.
Spanish newspaper "Marca" picked up on the German's comments at the pre-match press conference, where he ran through the team's situation and the fitness of his Catalan squad before the upcoming international break.
Asked how he would handle the days before the break, Flick said: "Today was another recovery day, and we did not put too high a training load, and tomorrow we will see who is in good condition to start, and we have to distribute the minutes based on each player's condition, as everyone wants to play and to start, but we will have to manage this."
On Yamal's claim to the Ballon d'Or, the coach answered: "It is certainly not easy to answer this question because I can only talk about Lamine and not about Mbappé, and I believe Yamal is honest and has that confidence in himself, and he proves how good he is, as he is an exceptional player, and perhaps I would have preferred him not to say that, but he speaks openly and says he wants to win the Ballon d'Or, and this is very important to him, and he has this feeling and we have to accept it and I will support him."
Turning to Yamal's comments and his hunger for collective silverware, the Barcelona coach said: "He is a young player, honest and has confidence in himself, and I like that, and he also shows that confidence on the pitch, and we all want him to continue playing as he does now, and this stems from the confidence he has in himself."
He added: "This is Lamine, and I will support him because it is amazing to have a player like him, and if his opinion is that he deserves the Ballon d'Or, then I too believe he deserves it, as he is an exceptional player, and I know there are many top-class players and that must be taken into account, but they will decide and I will be happy when it is over (laughing)."
Flick also addressed Alejandro Baldé's lack of game time: "At the moment, we have 5 defenders in central defence, and Joao can play too, and no one expected this level from Eric García, and Baldé must give his best and he is doing that, and he is not happy about not playing or not getting minutes, as he was used to being a key element and it is natural for him not to be happy.
He went on: "Things change, and new players and young players arrive, and new things happen in the team and they must be managed, and he is performing well, and I am not unhappy with him at all, as everyone competes and we always have players who can play in this position, but managing this matter is the most complicated part."
On Yamal's improving goal return, Flick explained: "I would not say it is not easy, as he has huge quality, but he is also going through a very good fitness level at the moment, and now he knows he can score and shows that in the matches, as he has more chances to score, and his confidence in finishing is amazing, and he is in a wonderful moment and playing at a high level, and I always say it: when you see him in training you know what will happen in the match, and I greatly appreciate what I currently see from him in training."
Pressed on whether Barcelona were running a campaign to help Yamal win the Ballon d'Or, Flick signed off: "And why should it not be done? He is our player and we support our players, and it is always like this, and I support the players who have confidence, and we are playing well at the moment, they are our players, and I see what they offer daily in training, and of course I can support them without any problem."
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