You surprise what went by means of the thoughts of Alaves’ left-back, Manu Sanchez, three minutes into the sport in opposition to Barcelona at Montjuic yesterday.
Lamine Yamal, the participant who Sanchez was assigned to mark for the following 87 minutes or so of his life, had dribbled previous him and 4 different team-mates in virtually his first involvement of the match.
Sanchez would have been forgiven for pondering he is likely to be in for an extended afternoon.
In a means, Alaves might be proud of how they contained Barcelona general. The Catalans received a scrappy 1-0 win at house in opposition to a relegation-battling facet in a must-win sport, after Actual Madrid misplaced throughout city in opposition to Espanyol the evening earlier than. Hansi Flick’s facet at the moment are 4 factors behind their principal rivals on the prime of La Liga, and the 2024-25 title race feels extra alive than ever as we enter February.
A packed fixture record on Madrid’s facet, together with a two-legged Champions League play-off in opposition to Manchester Metropolis on February 11 and 19, may do Barca, who’re straight by means of to the spherical of 16 in March, a favour too.
However weeks and maybe months will go, and Yamal’s outrageous early solo run will linger within the minds of those that have been current.
It’s nothing new to see followers on the sting of their seats each time Yamal will get the soccer, however the sequence that began at 3:45 on the clock and completed 14 seconds later had many of the 42,900 attending at Montjuic roaring in pleasure, louder and louder as he passed by opponent after opponent.
It’s typically simple to neglect that Lamine Yamal remains to be solely 17 years outdated.
Let’s return to the very begin of this extraordinary transfer.
Yamal picked up possession on the right-hand facet, his consolation zone, however in Barcelona’s half of the pitch. Sanchez was urgent him immediately, however the teenager shifted the ball again within the path it got here, wrongfooting his preliminary opponent instantly.
After he disarmed Sanchez with a shoulder feint and a dribble on his left foot, Alaves’ left-winger Tomas Conechny was there ready to double up on the Spain worldwide prodigy.
The 17-year-old shielded the ball, then burst previous each gamers and minimize inside in the direction of a central space.
Sanchez admitted defeat at this level and returned to his left-back position, however Conechny selected to persevere, following Yamal and making an attempt to seize his arm.
Extra backup was wanted.
The attacking midfielder Jon Guridi now made an try to succeed in Yamal, however the latter was already working in a special gear.
Antonio Blanco, one of many guests’ holding midfielders, tried to step into Yamal however a fast flick of his left foot meant that sort out was ineffective. Yamal stored transferring ahead.
Now Conechny was again for spherical two, this time making an attempt to carry out a cruel sliding sort out. In some a part of his peripheral imaginative and prescient, the Barca winger noticed him coming and rapidly switched his ball to the fitting foot — sending Conechny out for tapas.
These within the Montjuic stands have been loving each second of it, by no means wanting the run to finish.
Guridi and Blanco now tried to take Yamal down once more however failed once more.
Alaves’ different holding midfielder, Ander Guevara, now stood in Yamal’s path and fancied his luck, however with so many gamers now crowded round him, Yamal opted to search out his team-mate Raphinha in loads of area out on the left-hand facet.
With a trivela go.
GO DEEPER
Lamine Yamal’s trademark trivela: Dissecting the Barcelona star’s murals
(Alex Caparros/Getty Photos)
Raphinha took a shot at aim that went extensive, although few within the stadium actually cared. The followers have been nonetheless roaring for Yamal, making the type of comparisons of their heads with previous Barcelona greats that managers understandably are inclined to attempt to downplay, for concern of inflaming the hype. However Yamal isn’t any atypical expertise.
On an analogous observe, right here is Barcelona’s beginning goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, in an interview with Italian media outlet La Gazzetta Dello Sport final week.
“For me, they’re the two biggest talents I’ve seen in my life, both (Kenan) Yildiz (at Szczesny’s previous club Juventus) and Yamal. They’re very different because Lamine, technically, it’s absurd. Yildiz is stronger physically. He’s already ready physically. But technically, Lamine is… it’s so impressive. So it’s really hard to make a comparison but they’re two extraordinary talents and, in my opinion, they’ll both do big things.”
Yamal’s efficiency on Sunday went past his jaw-dropping run. Based on Opta, he tried 20 dribbles and succeeded with 11 of them, and equalled probably the most by a Barcelona footballer in a single sport because the 2005-06 season no less than.
Guess whose file he matched…
Sure, it was Lionel Messi, in 2006-07 in opposition to Mallorca. He tried 20 dribbles that day, finishing 10 of them.
Yamal was additionally concerned within the aim in opposition to Alaves, which was scored by Robert Lewandowski when he tapped in a volleyed shot by {the teenager}. La Liga didn’t depend it as an help, as Yamal’s try deflected off Alaves defender Nahuel Tenaglia earlier than reaching Lewandowski. By no means thoughts. He nonetheless leads the league for that metric this season with 11 in 19 video games.
His development has been very good since breaking into the Barcelona first crew final season, and people across the membership really feel blessed to have such a expertise on their arms.
At the back of their minds, although, there’s a silent debate over the easiest way to deal with Yamal. If, on the age of 17, he’s already so elementary to the membership’s general challenge, what’s coming subsequent for him? What’s the easiest way to verify his improvement stays heading in the right direction, or to make sure that {the teenager}’s thoughts can keep in the fitting place?
Final week, Flick subbed Yamal off within the dying minutes of their remaining league-phase match within the Champions League, in opposition to Atalanta. {The teenager} was visibly annoyed with the substitution, as he was having fun with himself after scoring one aim.
As he made his method to the bench, Flick stopped him and had a pleasant chat to attempt to easy issues over. Yamal was then named man of the match, and due to this fact had some media duties to undergo. Initially, he was not feeling within the temper to go and communicate to broadcasters however finally agreed to after a dialog with the membership’s press officers.
(Pedro Salado/Getty Photos)
It was described extra as a heat-of-the-moment state of affairs somewhat than something with a deeper significance from these within the dressing room, however in a means displays how Flick desires to guard Yamal from the general public eye and extreme scrutiny throughout press conferences.
Straight after the win yesterday, he was requested about Yamal’s show and whether or not it was harking back to different membership greats comparable to Messi and Diego Maradona.
“I am not a fan of comparisons and all that,” Flick mentioned. “Lamine is a genius. I’ve already mentioned that previously. What he did in the present day in some conditions was unbelievable. I’m so comfortable that he’s a Barca participant and I need him to do that week after week.
“Again, he is just 17.”
GO DEEPER
What makes Lamine Yamal such a particular footballer?
(High picture: Josep Lago/AFP through Getty Photos)
