4 hours Ago
With the recent news of Lamine Yamal’s fresh ankle injury that will keep the 17-year-old out for several weeks, the question must be asked, should the club be more aggressive in protecting players (especially when young) from fatigue and the subsequent injuries that arise? Yamal’s injury does not appear too severe, but the youngster will still miss a key game against Atletico Madrid, as well as a Copa del Rey tie and a Supercopa game against Athletic Club most likely. Yet concerns have been raised already that it’s not a “typical” injury and may be more worrying than it appears. Barca claimed Yamal “decided” he was OK to continue against Leganes, but should an inexperienced 17-year-old (who is obviously desperate to play every minute) really be making that call? Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images It only takes a couple of seconds to recall the variety of muscle injuries that plagued Pedri since coming on the scene in 2021, as well as those of Ansu Fati since bursting on the stage (and we can even throw in Dembele and De Jong here).
Young players, especially at a club the size of Barcelona, will always tend to ignore the pain and play on, especially when there are veterans and other youngsters in the squad vying for a starting position. But, given the number of fixtures each year, especially with added Champions League matches and international commitments, the onus must be in more in the club’s hands instead of the players. Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images While all games carry a critical importance, especially when vying for multiple trophies, Barca must do a better job of ensuring the long-term success for all players throughout the squad, but especially youngsters.
The cost/benefit of having a player miss just one game to properly recover and rest, vastly outweighs the weeks and/or months on the sideline that could follow. With the abundance of matches on the club and international fixture lists, clubs like Barcelona must be progressive in protecting their players or face the risk of stunting the growth of generational talents for short-term results..
