Lamine Yamal’s Clasico display prompts Troy Deeney warning over tight marking

Lamine Yamal’s subdued performance in Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid has intensified questions about the winger’s ability to influence games against top-level opponents.

The 18-year-old was unable to produce his usual impact during the Clasico and came under criticism from international media after struggling to make an impression against a tightly organised defence.

Troy Deeney, the former Watford striker and CBS Sports analyst, was among those to question Yamal’s response to close defensive attention. His comments marked a change from his pre-match view, when Deeney had ruled out the possibility of Real Madrid beating Barcelona.

“We have seen Lamine score goals in important matches, but what is happening is concerning,” Deeney said.

“We saw him against Lucas Hernandez and Marc Cucurella, and both of them managed to stop him. He is still young and has to learn, because the two best full-backs in the world succeeded in limiting his threat and denied him space.”

Yamal found it particularly difficult to get past Cucurella during the match. The Real Madrid full-back stayed close to the Spain winger, restricting his movement and preventing him from using his ability in one-on-one situations.

The Barcelona player also missed a clear opportunity in the first half, further highlighting a frustrating evening in attack.

The criticism was not limited to Deeney. US publication Sports Illustrated focused on Cucurella’s superiority in the direct contest and described Yamal as looking “frustrated and uncomfortable”.

The Associated Press also referred to the chance Yamal missed shortly before half-time, while noting that Kylian Mbappe had been able to settle the match in Real Madrid’s favour.