Former Barcelona director hails Flick, Lamine Yamal – ‘Reminds me more of Neymar than Messi’ | OneFootball

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona may not be in the final of the UEFA Champions League. However, The team, did complete the season with three titles to their name, making a strong claim to be one of Europe’s best teams at the moment.

The architect of all of the resurrection of the club, needless to say, is Hansi Flick.

The German tactician has well and truly turned around the mentality of the team and is deservedly praised by pundits across the globe as much as his players are for their form. After all, he made the impossible look ridiculously easy.

Former director’s praise for Flick

Speaking to the media in a recent interview, Robert Fernandez – Barcelona’s former technical director – gave his two cents on the team’s recent season under Hansi Flick and some of the standout players.

He began by praising the team under the German manager for their style of play, vibrant football, and domestic treble-winning run.

“Well, it’s a team that is very exciting. Not only to the people who like Barça but any football fan. It’s one of those teams that make you think: ‘I’m going to watch a game, which one do I choose?’ And you end up choosing Barça. Why? Because they play well.”

“They have a clear idea, an identity that they have recovered in the last two years and that in other stages they had lost. I see a young team, with energy, and a coach that I really like,” he added.

Elaborating on the board’s decision to sign Hansi Flick as the new manager of the team last summer, Fernandez said:

“Honestly, I think they’ve been right with Flick. It’s a team with a lot of future. It has players who understand the system, who know when and how they should play, and who are committed to the coach’s idea.”

Flick has impressed Robert Fernandez. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

He was also asked if he saw the current team living up to the legacy that the golden generation with Lionel Messi racked up, to which he said,

“It is difficult to win as many titles again as in the Messi era. Winning so much can get you drunk. It can make you lose your motivation.”

“And that was what Leo had: he always kept you connected, even after a defeat or a winning streak. He had a privileged mind. Leo was something else,” he added.

Fernandez in awe of Lamine Yamal

Fernandez spoke on Barcelona’s latest phenomenon, Lamine Yamal. Praising the youngster for his maturity despite being a teenager, he said,

“He has only been at the highest level for two years. And yes, he’s doing amazing things, it’s true. And with only 17 years old, an outrage.”

“But I don’t like to compare players, I think it’s not fair to anyone. I don’t think Leo deserves to be constantly compared, and I don’t think the kid has to carry that weight either,” he added when asked to compare him to Messi.

Elaborating on his refusal to compare Yamal to Messi, the former director said,

“Lamine is spectacular. I like him a lot. But of course, Leo is Leo. He is a unique case.”

“I have been lucky enough to be with Johan, with Kempes in Valencia, who at that time was the best in the world, I have known Maradona a lot, I had Di Stefano as a coach… And what Leo has done is incomparable,” he added, placing the Argentine well above others.

Barcelona’s talisman. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Finally, he admitted that Yamal was perhaps closer to Neymar than Messi.

“Well, football-wise, maybe he reminds me more of Neymar than Messi. Because of the physique, because of the way he plays. In that sense, he looks more like him. He has a very serious way of playing, yes, it can be.”

On Frenkie de Jong’s contract situation

The director then spoke on Frenkie de Jong, one of the few players in the team from the time he was at the club himself. He admitted that De Jong’s recent performances warrant a renewal but left it to the board to take a decision.

“That’s the club’s decision, but he’s a great player because he can play both as a centre-back and in midfield. He has the ability to generate superiority in a key position, which is the centre of the field.”

Speaking on what appealed to him the most about the Dutchman that led to him pushing for the signing, Fernandez said,

“When we went after him, we were clear that our superiority in La Liga allowed us to play with a midfielder as a centre-back, not just two pure centre-backs. That gave us more tools: we could play a midfielder as a centre-back and, further up front, help out.”

“He wasn’t a free player parallel to the other centre-back, but more advanced, to generate superiority in the middle. Ultimately, that’s where you need fluidity and an advantage,” he added.

Source: Mundo Deportivo