Lamine Yamal Still Can't Handle Being Subbed Off — And Flick Keeps Making Excuses For Him

Lamine Yamal is having an absolutely stunning season for Barcelona — but there’s one thing the 18-year-old still hasn’t got his head around: being taken off. And honestly, it’s happening a fair bit.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Yamal has featured in 33 games across all competitions this season — 21 in La Liga, six in the Champions League, four in the Copa del Rey and two in the Supercopa. Of those, he’s played the full 90 minutes in 20, been substituted in 11, and started from the bench in two more. The only matches he’s missed entirely have been through injury (five) or suspension (one).

So the lad is hardly being left out in the cold, is he? He’s also chipped in with 15 goals and 14 assists, which is frankly ridiculous for someone who’s still a teenager.

Same Old Story

But despite all that, Yamal does not like coming off. Three incidents in particular stand out:

• vs Levante (La Liga, this past weekend) — taken off in the 88th minute, visibly fuming
• vs Chelsea (Champions League, November) — subbed off in the 80th minute, same reaction
• vs Eintracht Frankfurt (Champions League, December) — hauled off in the 89th minute, again not chuffed

None of these are early substitutions, mind you. The bloke is getting the full run of the park most weeks and still kicks off when Flick decides enough is enough.

Flick’s Got His Back (As Always)

Hansi Flick, to his credit, hasn’t lost his rag about it publicly. After the Levante game he was pretty measured, pointing out that Roony Bardghji — who came on as sub — deserved his minutes too. After the Chelsea match in London, Flick was even more philosophical about it, saying that plenty of players aren’t happy when they’re subbed and that he himself probably didn’t always react brilliantly as a player either.

The Frankfurt incident got perhaps the most revealing response from the German, who said with a laugh that Yamal thinks he can play “90 or 100 minutes” and that he’s young, so it’s fine. He even joked that next time Yamal would have to sit on the bench — though that’s clearly not something either of them actually wants.

So Is It a Problem?

Look, in isolation, none of this is particularly alarming. Young players who burn with competitive fire are exactly what you want at a club like Barça. But when it’s happening in a third of all his appearances, and it’s been noted enough times that the manager has had to publicly address it on multiple occasions, it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Flick’s management of the situation has been spot on so far — calm, supportive, never throwing the kid under the bus. But Yamal is going to have to learn that rotation and squad management are part of elite football, especially with a packed schedule. At 18, there’s every reason to believe he’ll figure it out.

For now though? He’s still a handful to deal with — on the pitch and on the touchline.