Barcelona maintained their strong start in La Liga with a commanding 5-1 victory over Villarreal in the sixth round. The match saw three Villarreal goals disallowed for offside, and Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen was injured and replaced by Ignacio Peña. With this win, Barcelona now has 18 points, sitting at the top of the league, while Villarreal is in fifth place with 11 points.
According to the Catalan newspaper “Sport,” German coach Hansi Flick expressed his satisfaction with Barcelona’s performance, praising 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, telling him, “For me, you are the best in the world at the moment.” Flick noted that he sees no other player providing the same level of impact and quality as Yamal.
The report also highlighted Flick’s appreciation for young player Pablo Torre, who impressed during the match, prompting Flick to commend him in the locker room. Additionally, Flick addressed an incident where Inigo Martinez had reprimanded young teammate Sergi Dominguez, ensuring Martinez apologized for his behavior.
Flick advised Inigo Martinez to be more lenient with young Sergi Dominguez, emphasizing that he is still developing as a player. Inigo subsequently apologized to Sergi and embraced him, resolving the matter.
The newspaper reported that Sergi showed courage by also apologizing to his teammates and coach Hansi Flick for his performance, earning applause from everyone, including Flick, who reassured him, “It’s okay, you have a lot to offer the team in the coming years, keep working.”
The report concluded with disappointing news regarding Ter Stegen’s injury, with initial assessments suggesting a cruciate ligament tear. If confirmed, this would mean an absence of at least seven months, effectively ending his season with Barcelona.
