"Valverde had the megastar Lionel Messi as the talisman of his Barcelona team in the past and now Hansi Flick's Blaugrana look up to teenage superstar Lamine Yamal to deliver the goods. As such, comparisons between the two have been doing the rounds for a while now, and Valverde gave his two cents on the same. "Time will tell. The bar is set incredibly high. Messi has arguably been the best player in the world, with incredible ambition every single day," warned Valverde."
"Valverde touched upon the goal-shy nature of his side this season, which will be a concern before taking Barcelona, saying: "We are a team that has always needed a high volume of shots to convert scoring opportunities. Sometimes we are more clinical, sometimes less so. It's about persistence." "We have had some problems up front (injuries), but we hope to sharpen our finishing touch; today could be a good day.""
FC Barcelona return to the renovated Spotify Camp Nou after nearly two and a half years away, hosting Athletic Club. Ernesto Valverde, Athletic's head coach and former Barcelona manager, compared teenage Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi, saying the bar remains incredibly high and that Yamal has a great future. Athletic have scored only 12 league goals this season, making scoring a clear concern. Valverde said the team often needs a high volume of shots to convert chances and emphasized persistence despite injuries up front. Valverde started Unai Gomez as the most advanced player, praising his speed, work-rate, and ability to exploit space against a high line.
Read at Barca Universal
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