The only one to misfire
Barcelona opened their La Liga campaign with a statement win at Elche on Sunday night. Five goals, none conceded, a reshuffled line-up that clicked straight away. Raphinha, used as a striker, bagged a brace. Fermin Lopez did too. Karim Adeyemi scored his first official goal in a Barca shirt on his first start. Anthony Gordon came off the bench and set up two.
One attacker had a quiet night. Lamine Yamal created nothing on the dribble and drifted through the game without leaving a mark. Hansi Flick hauled him off on 65 minutes.
In a five-goal win, the odd one out stands out a mile. A Yamal performance with no goal and no assist is still a rarity at this club.
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What happened on the bench
The display alone would have been forgotten by Monday. What followed was not. He looked visibly frustrated walking off, then shed a few tears once he sat down.
Raphinha, Adeyemi and several members of staff came over to settle him. According to Catalan paper Sport, he was still upset in the tunnel after the final whistle.
The backdrop sharpens it. At 19, weeks after winning the World Cup with Spain in July, Yamal is tasting a status he has never had: the player taken off so the attack can breathe.
Two theories, no proof
Two explanations are circulating in Catalonia. One points to Alejandro Balde, a close friend, being pushed towards the exit late in the window. The other points to a slump that has trailed him since the World Cup, where the winger never quite hit top gear despite Spain’s triumph.
The club has backed neither. Both say the same thing anyway: the wonderkid is in a spell where the game no longer comes to him on demand.
The answer could arrive fast. Barcelona play Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.
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