Barcelona Faces Concerns: Dani Olmo Injury and Lamine Yamal Fatigue
Dani Olmo is a doubt for Spain's upcoming UEFA Nations League clash against Switzerland in Geneva after suffering a "strong blow" during the match against Serbia, as revealed by Spain's head coach, Luis de la Fuente.
"Olmo won’t train because he took a hard knock in the last game, and he’s recovering. We’ll see how he feels," De la Fuente said in a press conference.
Concerns were also raised about the workload of young talent Lamine Yamal, who has been heavily involved during the international break. De la Fuente was questioned about the high volume of matches players are facing in these international windows.
The coach defended the current schedule and pointed out the dilemma critics face: "There are many games, but we need to strike a balance to keep the business running, ensure the health of the players, and determine how many games they can handle. Should we move international matches to June? It would be the same complaint; people would say it's too much after a long season. It’s an old debate."
De la Fuente also emphasized that players without injury concerns should be able to play two matches in three days, especially in September.
"If you can’t play 180 minutes in September, then what are we doing here? We have a huge responsibility to represent our country, and the only way I know how to do that is by fielding the best players. It would be unfair to protect certain players while leaving others exposed. I aim to be fair," he concluded.