This weekend, Barcelona host Valencia in their final La Liga match, and Lamine Yamal will undoubtedly be one of their references as they look to recapture their “terrible form” in the competition. The man tasked with stopping him at the Estadi Olimpic is someone who knows the 17-year-old sensation well: Jose Gaya.
Lamine Yamal and Gaya have been international teammates for the past 16 months, with the latter sharing his first impressions of the teenager while speaking to the media on Thursday, according to Relevo.
“I remember seeing him in the national team at the age of 16 and I was amazed. I said he would be a player who would mark an era and I think he will. If not the best in the world, but I'm sure he's one of the best.
Gaya will have his work cut out for him to stop Lamine Yamal, although he is confident he can do so. He also believes he knows exactly how to nullify the threat of the world-class Barcelona winger.
“Normally we always have the opportunity to watch individual videos of the opponents you may face, but I have seen Lamine quite a lot and he is difficult to defend. You don't know which is better if you overtake him very quickly, if you leave him space, if you start defending very quickly, he has a lot of ability to get out on both sides, but if you go back and give him space, with driving a car, he can take you into complicated situations.
“The key is to get him back to his own goal. This type of player likes to run forward, but if they have to run backward, not so much.”
It won't be easy for Valencia to get a result this weekend, especially as they are missing key defender Cristhian Mosquera. However, if Gaya Lamine can keep Yamal quiet, it could go a long way in stopping Barcelona.
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