Spain coach dismisses spat with Flick over Yamal injury

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Friday there was “no conflict” with Hansi Flick after the Barcelona boss last month criticised the national team’s handling of Lamine Yamal.

The 18-year-old winger made his first start for Barcelona since August in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain after recovering from a groin injury Flick felt was made worse by him playing in September’s World Cup qualifiers.

“There is no conflict with Flick. I was simply surprised by those statements because he has been a national team coach and I thought he had that empathy,” De la Fuente said after announcing his squad for games against Georgia and Bulgaria.

“You know we have two very important matches; we are playing for the World Cup. It seems like they’re in the background, and we’re talking about Flick.

“We are playing for the World Cup, that is what really matters. The rest is not important. Everyone said what they said, and that’s it.”

Flick said at the time he had spoken briefly to De la Fuente via text message but their communication could be improved.

De la Fuente sought to provide more clarity on the situation Friday as he tried to draw a line under the issue.

“What happened was that, when the match ended, he had some kind of discomfort. But I have never played without discomfort. Nothing happened,” he said. 

“Our medical staff have explained it, and I have explained it. Nothing more. Did he then have discomfort after the match? Well, I don’t know.”

Spain will be without Nico Williams and Dani Carvajal for the upcoming qualifiers, while Alvaro Morata has been left out of the squad after a slow start to the season at Como.

Athletic Bilbao winger Williams has not played since picking up a groin injury in the 6-0 win over Turkey. His club had reportedly asked for his playing time to be managed due to discomfort.

“The risk in football and in sports always exists. If he is playing at his club, he is assuming those risks. We are talking about completely normal situations,” said De la Fuente.

Spain are top of Group E with six points after two matches. They face Georgia in Elche on October 11 and host Bulgaria in Valladolid three days later.