Flick on Lamine Yamal: I don't want to stop him, but we must manage him

Flick on Lamine Yamal: I don't want to stop him, but we must manage him Hansi Flick spoke at a press conference ahead of Betis-Barcelona. Here is what the German coach had to say... Flick's comments 📸 YASIN AKGUL - AFP or licensors Raphinha "If you ask him, he'll tell you he's ready to start, but for me, I have to take it step by step with him. He trained well with the group, but we need to manage him over the next few weeks. The good news is that he'll be available, and so will De Jong." De Jong "Everyone knows Frenkie is a top player. I'm delighted to have him back and playing well. He gives us another option. We'll see. He's coming back from injury. We'll see. Everything is going well. He brings quality. He's doing well and is ready to get some minutes tomorrow." Lamine Yamal "It's not an easy question because he's a very special player. The most important thing is that he's enjoying playing football, and I don't want to disrupt that. But I also know we need to manage his minutes." Upcoming matches "No, the most important thing is tomorrow's match and winning it. Betis are full of confidence and have won all their home games. They have great players and are a great team, with some very good players in the final third. They score a lot of goals, and we have to defend very well. They're one of the best teams, and their improvement year after year is incredible. Pellegrini has done a fantastic job." Is this the first big test of the season? "We only focus on the next match, and I'm not too concerned about where each team currently sits in the table. We're focused on what we can do in each match. These three games are important, but so was the Galatasaray game, and we played really well in what wasn't an easy match. We defended very well, and I think Pedri, Rodri and Fermín played very well. We have to keep doing that and show it in every match. That's what we want to do." Gabriel Jesus or Dani Olmo as a No. 9? "We have to find solutions, and this is the solution we've gone with. Dani is an exceptional player and an exceptional person too. He's appreciative, he's skilful and he has great character. I'm delighted with what I'm seeing from Dani. He always gives one hundred per cent. He's improved so much over the last six months. He's in great shape. We already know he's an exceptional, fantastic player who can offer us a lot. It's great to have him as a centre-forward; he can play there. It wasn't an easy game against Galatasaray, but he showed his quality." Balde "Right now, the situation isn't easy, but he's training well, which is the first thing he needs to do. But we have Xavi and Cancelo in that position. Two top players who are performing at an incredible level, and that's all I can say. I'm happy about that, but it's not the ideal situation for Balde. Still, he's training well, like a professional. That's what I want to keep seeing. You have to show you're ready if we need you." De Jong at centre-back "We haven't tested him much at centre-back, mostly in five-a-side drills. He looks very focused in training, he's one hundred per cent committed and wants to show what a good player he is. That's a good situation to be in. He's a top footballer and gives us more options, which is good. Obviously, it's not easy to manage this situation. Right now, looking at the quality on the bench, we're in a good position, and whoever starts has to give one hundred per cent. Nobody can take it easy." Abde "Abde is a fantastic player; he's really impressed me. We have a great team, but I like what I see from him. I like the confidence he has in one-on-one situations. The goal he scored in the Champions League was incredible. He's playing at a very high level. I don't want to talk too much about players from other teams, but he's very good." Gavi "He couldn't join the national team during this break, and he was sad and a little disappointed, but what I've seen from him during the break has been very good. He's very professional and wants to improve every day. In terms of intensity, focus and attention, he's at an incredibly high level. He's the heart of this team, as I've said before, because he gives everything for the club and the team. We need him and that character of his. He's a top player when he's at his best, and I think he's close to reaching one hundred per cent. He's a great option for us, including for tomorrow." Fermín at centre-forward? "Fermín can play as a No. 9 too, but you have to consider where each player comes from on the pitch. We saw that when he scored the second goal against Galatasaray. That's his style and his character. He's more effective coming from outside the box. Having these two players at this level is incredible. Dani has struggled to score goals, but he's doing very well now. Having to choose between these two players is a fantastic position to be in." The lack of rest Mourinho has complained about "We've already been in this situation. It's different in some countries, but things are what they are for us. For example, when we played in the cup in Valencia, our flight was cancelled and we had to travel back to Barcelona by bus. We had a match after that and played well. We can't change this situation, but we have to perform on the pitch. That's what we can control. Everyone is focused and showing their quality. We have room for improvement, and we're going to improve." This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.