Hansi Flick has no regrets about criticising Spain's management of Lamine Yamal, as Barcelona prepare to visit Sevilla on Sunday without the teenage superstar.
Yamal missed four games in all competitions due to a groin injury following the September international break, having played in Spain's World Cup qualifying wins over Bulgaria and Turkiye.
Though Barca won all four games without the 18-year-old, Flick was not happy about the way he was treated on international duty, claiming he was already injured when he met up with his Spain team-mates and had to take painkillers to get through their games.
Yamal returned off the bench against Real Sociedad last week before playing the full 90 minutes of their Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but on Friday, Barca confirmed he had aggravated his groin issue and would miss up to three weeks.
That came just hours after Yamal was named in Spain's squad for their October internationals, and Roja boss Luis de la Fuente accused Flick of a lack of understanding.
But speaking ahead of Sunday's trip to Sevilla, Flick refused to row back on his comments.
"I don't regret it because I try to protect my players," Flick said. "For me, it's a closed chapter.
"Maybe it's a good story for you, but for me it's over and the important thing is to handle it together – the player, the club and the federation.
"I spoke to [Yamal] today and he's better but he's not well. The situation arose after the last break, and I want to protect my player, to support him. That's what this is about.
"It's water under the bridge. It's in the past. I don't think negatively. These things happen.
"I've been on the other side of it too and it's not easy. I have to protect my player, and that's why I made those comments… perhaps I made them more forcefully than usual."
𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 #SevillaBarça pic.twitter.com/z8vFIivEl0
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 4, 2025
Since the start of last season, Barca have won 75% of their competitive games with Yamal in the starting lineup (45/60), compared to 66.7% without him (6/9).
But Sevilla boss Almeyda says his team – who are 10th in LaLiga with 10 points from seven games – will not be buoyed by Yamal's absence.
"If I were to focus on just one player, it would be a grave mistake. Barcelona have 20 good players," Matias Almeyda said.
"There's a function that goes beyond the technical qualities of each player for them, and that's what we have to stop."
Barca have 19 points from their first seven games of the season, and after the international break, they face a pair of derbies against Catalan neighbour Girona and Clasico rivals Real Madrid.
Asked whether Yamal will recover in time for that latter game, Flick said: "With this type of injury, we don't know... it could be two weeks, three weeks, or four.
"We know more about muscle injuries, but this one is different. We want him to recover and take it step by step to see how he progresses."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sevilla – Jose Angel Carmona
Carmona has provided two assists in his last three LaLiga matches, as many as he managed in his previous 88 appearances in the competition.
Barcelona – Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski has scored five goals in six LaLiga matches against Sevilla; only against Valencia (nine) and Alaves (seven) has he netted more in the competition.
The Poland international is likely to return to Barca's starting lineup after only getting 18 minutes off the bench in Wednesday's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.