Xavi Need To Unleash Wonderkid Yamal Potential To Save His Job 

The 16-year-old Lamine Yamal could be the key to saving the Blaugrana’s season – and keeping their under-fire manager in a job.

Lamine Yamal ought to have finished his debut for Barcelona with a goal and an assist. The fifteen-year-old was thrown into a pointless match against Real Betis on April 29, 2023. At that point, the Blaugrana were up 4-0, and since they had already won the championship, Xavi had little to lose by switching to the newest talent from La Masia.

READ ALSO: Lamine Yamal’s One-on-one Ability Compared To Messi

However, Yamal’s effect was almost instantaneous. He made 12 touches to the ball, attempted a shot on goal, and sent an impeccably accurate pass over the top of the Betis defence that Ousmane Dembele ought to have tucked away. He did not play a minute in the 2022–2023 season, which makes sense given that the youngster still had to worry about his maths homework. However, his potential effect had been acknowledged and the impact had been made.

Nine months on, and Yamal, still 16, has four goal contributions for Barca. Statistically, he is one of the most effective dribblers in La Liga, while the eye test alone suggests that Barca are simply better when Yamal is strutting, scampering and darting down the right-wing.

And yet Xavi remains reluctant to use him. Instead, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and even Joao Cancelo have been preferred in Yamal’s favoured position, and that needs to change. Barca are stumbling to a halt in La Liga, and could squander their most obvious chance at a trophy if they lose to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Xavi needs to put his best players on the pitch to not only bring success to Catalunya, but also save his own job, and so it’s time to let Yamal prove that he can grow into being one of the world’s best.

Early in August, Yamal’s ability to be a consistent starter in Catalunya was shown without any reasonable doubt. With 15 minutes remaining in Barca’s Joan Gamper Trophy match against Tottenham, the teenager joined the game. With the Blaugrana’s dismal performance, doubts were raised about Xavi’s capacity to inspire the reigning champions for another title challenge. Barca lost 2-1.

In a brief cameo, Yamal offered hope. He assisted Torres for the equaliser, before starting the moves for Barca’s third and fourth goals in their comeback win. Yes, this was a glorified friendly between two sides still not yet in the full swing of things, but Yamal proved that he belonged.

The Catalan press, in typically measured fashion, started the hype. In a twist of immense promise and damning expectation, it just so happened that a certain Lionel Messi had enjoyed a similarly electric showing, at the same stadium, in the same rather meaningless game, 18 years previously.

“Since Leo Messi against Juventus in his first Gamper, nothing like him has been seen,” SPORT claimed in their live blog during the game, perfectly capturing the frenzy.

From then on, madness grew. While Xavi attempted to quell some of the discussion about his youthful starlet’s performances, Yamal’s entourage became more boisterous. During a 10-second speech, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente compared Yamal to both Messi and Diego Maradona, while Rafa Marquez, the legendary Barcelona player, wisely compared Yamal to Ronaldinho.

However, Xavi has contributed to tamping down such exaggerated parallels. He made an attempt to quiet the incessant chatting in October by saying: “I hope Lamine can mark an era [in football], but we are not doing him any favours saying that… Let’s see what the future holds without comparing him with Messi. It’s not gone that well for all the players that have been compared with Messi in the past.”

The manager has backed that up by curtailing the teenager’s minutes. Yamal has been in the staring line-up for just 11 of a possible 28 games in all competitions, and has the same number of league starts as the oft-injured Raphinha. Torres, a player who is less effective out wide than he is centrally, has started three games on the right-wing while Yamal has been fit — leaving the promising youngster to watch from the bench.

Fans of Barcelona have surely been frustrated by it. However, it appeared to be the best course of action for Xavi, the guy responsible for caring for a player who hasn’t participated in an entire professional football season. Gavi, who is still just 19, was lost to an ACL tear, and Pedri, who is 21, can hardly go more than a few months without being wounded. The Barca coach really cannot allow another young player to be misused and miss significant amounts of the season due to injury.