Marcus Rashford is reportedly set for a key new role at Barcelona as Hansi Flick is determined to make a tactical change after defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla. Once written off and loaned out of Manchester United, the English forward has gone from Premier League exile to Barcelona’s next big hope. After being ditched by Ruben Amorim and sent packing to Aston Villa in January, his career looked in freefall. But fast forward a few months, a new boss and a new sense of purpose have changed everything.
Gary Lineker never thought we'd see another player like Lionel Messi - until Lamine Yamal came along. "Just watching him, he makes it look so easy to beat a player. He goes past them almost as if they're invisible, like they're not there," the ex-England international enthused on the 'Stick to Football' podcast the morning after Barcelona's thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter on April 30.
Despite the thumping 4-1 loss to Sevilla, the Barcelona board has kept full faith in manager Hansi Flick. Although critics have raised eyebrows over his mentorship and tactical prowess, the main decision-makers at the club have confidence in his project.
Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde has acknowledged that his team committed multiple errors in their recent La Liga outing against Sevilla. The Catalans were not clinical in front of goal and their defensive strategy was exploited by the opposition, which led to a thumping defeat.
Former Barcelona player Gerard Lopez has heavily criticised current manager Hansi Flick for his "suicidal" high-line tactics. Lopez believes that after more than a season at the helm, opposition clubs have figured out the Catalans' defensive strategy and it is time for the German to make a change.
Barcelona suffered their first league defeat of the season in a thumping 4-1 loss to Sevilla, as Robert Lewandowski’s missed penalty denied them a lifeline in the second half. Reflecting on the setback, defender Pau Cubarsi admitted that the team’s wastefulness in front of goal proved costly and urged his teammates to “push for more” to prevent such lapses in future games.
Marcus Rashford's stunning volley proved to be a consolation goal for Barcelona, who were hammered 4-1 in Seville. The defeat was compounded after Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty, but Sevilla were well worth the scoreline and it was only a fine performance from Wojciech Szczesny which kept the scoreline down.
Lamine Yamal went out of his way to hype up his return to the Barcelona line-up for Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The 18-year-old posted a clip on his Instagram account from the movie 'The Devil's Advocate' in which Al Pacino's character, John Milton, discusses the effects of pressure: "Some people, you squeeze 'em, they focus; others fold. Can you summon your talent at will? Can you deliver on a deadline? Can you sleep at night?"
Lamine Yamal has reportedly felt discomfort in his pubic area once again after the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain. The 18-year-old was sidelined for three weeks due to the same injury and now his participation against Sevilla and his presence in the Spanish national team is doubtful.
Alexis Sanchez has returned to La Liga after 11 years, joining Sevilla on a one-year deal. Sanchez's last spell in Spain was with Barcelona, where he spent three years before joining Arsenal. He then briefly played for Manchester United before heading to Italy, where he turned out for Inter and took in a second stint at Udinese.
Sevilla
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
