Lamine Yamal may be just 19 years old, but there is no doubt that he is already the face of the Barcelona attack.
The Spaniard has been in the first-team scheme of things since he was 16, quickly growing into the global superstar that he is today.
Now a World Cup winner, the Barça right-winger has a huge season ahead of him, where he can take his stature to even greater heights.
Now, according to Jota Jordi, Barcelona could see a different version of Lamine Yamal this season, with Hansi Flick planning to use the 19-year-old increasingly through the middle.
Flick wants to see Lamine centrally
Flick’s idea is to give Lamine more minutes as a No. 10, with the Barcelona coach believing the youngster could produce an even greater impact from central areas.
Lamine has built his reputation primarily as a right-winger, where his one-v-one ability, creativity and left foot make him exceptionally difficult for defenders to contain.
However, playing centrally would give him a different type of influence.
Rather than always receiving possession near the touchline, Lamine would have greater freedom to find pockets between midfield and defence.
Lamine Yamal will reportedly play a more central role. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
From there, he can directly combine with Barça’s attackers and become involved in more moves in and around the penalty area.
Flick has already explored Lamine in central positions, including appearances as an interior attacking midfielder from the right last season.
During pre-season, the coaching staff have also tested him as a false nine in training, which could be a potent weapon in the absence of a striker.
Barcelona’s new attack creates possibilities
The changes to Barça’s attack this summer can make this tactical adjustment involving Lamine Yamal even more interesting.
Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi provide Flick with genuine pace and width, meaning Barcelona have other players capable of stretching opponents from the flanks if Lamine moves inside.
Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez can also operate as a No. 10, so Lamine is unlikely to permanently abandon the right wing.
Instead, Flick could use his versatility to make Barça’s attacking structure far less predictable and more entertaining.
Lamine can still start on the right wing nominally and move inwards while the right-back, Eric Garcia or Xavi Espart, can provide width on the right.
The next stage of Lamine’s evolution
Lamine has played centrally before under Flick. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
For Barcelona, developing Lamine should not simply mean asking him to produce more goals and assists from exactly the same areas every season.
For a player as tactically intelligent as the Spanish teenager, there are multiple ways in which the best can be extracted from him.
Lamine already commands enormous defensive attention on the wing. Giving him greater access to central areas could make it harder for opponents to double up on him and place him closer to goal.
This is something Lionel Messi did very well throughout his career, gradually identifying pockets on the pitch from which he could influence the game.
In fact, the Argentine maestro has mastered it to such an extent that he is now seen doing it within games based on how the opposition sets up.
While Barça cannot expect Lamine to have that level of understanding at 19, Flick can certainly profile him in many other ways this upcoming season.
It looks like he is set to give the teenager more freedom this season, and it remains to be seen how Lamine adapts to his new tactical instructions in the coming months.