Xavi Sees Messi in Lamine Yamal
Barcelona's coach, Xavi Hernandez, admitted after winning against Mallorca (1-0) with a stunning goal from Lamine Yamal, that the beginnings of this player remind him of Lionel Messi's, as both are left-footed and share position, but he emphasized that comparisons between them are not good for the Barcelona forward.
"Comparisons don't benefit him because he's totally different. Anyone who has been compared to Messi has come out losing. There are moments when we see flashes of Messi, because he's a lefty and cuts inside, but comparing him to the best in history isn't good because he'll come out on the losing end," he said.
From the press room of the Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys, the Barcelona coach admitted that both Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí were "game-changers" in the victory against the Balearic team and assured that both players "could make history" at the club.
The coach from Terrassa reaffirmed that he sees "no bad news" in such young players being the most outstanding, and also praised the performance of other veteran players like Joao Cancelo, Íñigo Martínez, or Ilkay Gündogan.
Xavi expressed satisfaction in having achieved "the goal of winning and putting pressure" on direct rivals in a match where, in his opinion, Barcelona lacked "effectiveness," although he highlighted their defensive performance.
"To be fair, there have been games where we haven't conceded but have been threatened, but not now. We are very good at defending crosses and the area. Christensen wins duels, he's a center-back playing as a pivot. He gives us stability. We've improved a lot in defense and that's why we win games," he said.
