‘I talk to him a lot’… Barcelona defender highlights his growing on-field connection with Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

After seeing his side suffer a defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone hailed the Blaugrana team for its resourcefulness and for coming up with different solutions to the problems they face in matches.

In this last game before the March international break, the Catalan had overcome a two-goal deficit to win the match 2-4 mainly by creating chances from the wings, a strategy they have relied on throughout this season.

Hansi Flick has two very potent combinations playing for him on both sides of the pitch. On the one side, there is the duo of Alejandro Balde and Raphinha wreaking havoc on the opposition, while Jules Kounde and Lamine Yamal combine well to cause a lot of damage on the right side.

There is no doubt that both these sets of players complement each other quite well. This was also Kounde’s opinion about his partnership with Yamal.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the French defender commented on how he helps his youngster teammate grow as he appeared in an interview in France:

“We talk to see how I can improve certain aspects, such as making runs that can open up space for him (Lamine), although he knows how to handle himself even with two defenders on him. We complement each other quite well. On the defensive side, I talk to him a lot to correct certain details about his positioning.”

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

On the other hand, despite his good performances, the French defender wanted to remind that he is still a youngster and should be treated as such:

“We understand each other very well both on and off the pitch. People often forget that, even though we see him doing exceptional things, he’s still a kid, a teenager who loves joking around—and that’s great because I do too.”

It is good to know that a player as experienced as Kounde is making the effort to help Yamal become an even more complete player. Hopefully, the relationship between them will continue to thrive and return good dividends for Barcelona going forward as it has done so far this season.