Rayo Vallecano boss heaps praise on Lamine Yamal, Barcelona ahead of clash – ‘Reminds me of Messi’ | OneFootball

Inigo Perez, the manager of Rayo Vallecano, heaped praise on Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, stating that they are the La Liga side he most enjoys “watching and emulating”.

Perez then highlighted that Lamine Yamal is a player who reminds him of Argentine great Leo Messi because of the “sense of powerlessness” he causes in opponents.

Rayo Vallecano host Barcelona on Sunday night in La Liga, brimming with confidence after sealing a historic qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Ahead of the faceoff at Estadio de Vallecas, Perez could not hide his admiration for Barcelona and the way they play.

“It’s the same Barcelona as last year. We’ll have to wait a few more games to see if anything has changed, but I see that they’re still very aggressive without the ball and continue to create many chances with it. They maintain that punch and that pressure,” he said.

“It’s a young team whose coach is tailor-made for that squad. It’s the team in La Liga that I most enjoy watching and emulating. It’s a very complete team, they have a lot of energy, and I really like it,” he added.

One of the most dangerous players Perez and Rayo Vallecano will have to keep an eye on is Lamine Yamal, whom he praised endlessly, calling him “one of the candidates to win trophies at those galas where everyone looks so handsome.”

Inigo Perez in awe of Lamine and Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Continuing, Perez added: “Lamine reminds me of Messi in the sense of powerlessness that his opponents show. In the Montjuic match last season, he didn’t create the kind of danger he usually does.”

Further singing praise of Barcelona and highlighting their high defensive line, Perez stated that the Blaugrana deserved to be in last season’s UEFA Champions League final.

“With Barcelona’s high line, all teams suffer,” the Rayo Vallecano noted.

“For me, they deserved to play in the Champions League final last year. We all fall into their offside trap, but hopefully we can get a win tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, addressing the concerns surrounding the state of the Vallecas pitch, Perez said: “I understand the comments about the pitch. For me, the most important thing is the players, the ball, and the grass to play on.

“I don’t know if it’s an excuse or not, but everywhere, due to the heat, the grass is bad in this first half. It’s something that bothers both teams. No coach in La Liga wants the pitch to be bad, but I understand the debate.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo