We messed up, Lamine Yamal: the hot takes from Barça-Celta

BarcelonaThree golden points for Barça in a match marked by Lamine Yamal's injury and a first half that lasted 67 minutes (1-0). La Liga, closer. Next, some immediate thoughts.

It won't go down in history. A nine-point lead over Madrid thanks to another victory at the Camp Nou. This is the best news for Barça fans from the team's greyest night since the stadium reopened. A giant step towards the title after an exercise in survival against an uncomfortable opponent, the weariness of the whole season, and the absurdity of a VAR that disallowed a goal for Ferran Torres by less than a millimeter. Amidst the struggle, Pedri's work in defending the result with possession deserves recognition. The Canary Islander completed another 90 minutes, this time with the captain's armband, to show his crucial importance at his beloved club.

Lamine Yamal alarm. The match changed when the Barça star wanted it to. Barça was struggling against a very daring Celta and he conjured up an individual play that ended in a penalty, which he himself converted before getting injured. As young as he is, he had never suffered, since playing at the elite level, a muscle tear in his thigh, which is the same as what has sidelined Raphinha at the decisive moment of the season or what frequently bothers Pedri. Something very common, really. The problem is that it comes less than two months before the World Cup and after having played practically everything since Christmas. It is often overlooked that the little angel is still growing and that if he lives so fast, then this is what happens. We have come off badly.

We have run short again. Lamine Yamal and Cancelo have joined the new injury festival that Barça has suffered at the end of this season. It happened a year ago and this year it has been repeated with more insistence: the team has been short of personnel and preparation and has not been able to compete at the highest level for the Champions League. In the League, since Madrid is a real disaster, it seems like it will be enough. But the two spring warnings that Flick's team is chaining should make those in charge reflect not only on squad planning, but also on whether the best work has been done in terms of injury prevention.

Flick has spoken clearly. In the preview, with the microphone in front of him, he elegantly asked for signings to fulfill his dream in Barcelona, which is none other than winning the Champions League. And the next day, when selecting the starting eleven to play against Celta, he confirmed, in case there was any doubt, that he would not spend too much money to keep Rashford. Right now he prefers to open up the left with Gavi or Fermín rather than trust the Englishman, a footballer too expensive for what he offers. Right now, the only thing that could grant him a second chance is that Barça goes back to the market to sign what it can and instead of what it wants. That or that his friend Pini Zahavi, his agent, flatters Laporta more than he should.