Rodri Tells Lamine Yamal, Who's Battling World Cup 'Anxiety,' To 'Calm Down'
As Spain prepares for a heavyweight showdown against France, captain Rodri has highlighted a specific area of improvement for the nation’s brightest young talent. The 30-year-old midfielder believes that Yamal has been playing with a level of urgency that borders on anxiety, which has occasionally hindered his natural explosiveness on the wing.
"I think he needs to calm down a bit, that anxiety that sometimes he has to prove himself," Rodri stated in the mixed zone following Spain's progress. "He's a very important player for us because of what he does with and without the ball, and he's a very intelligent guy. It's true that he's 19 years old and that we have to calm him down at certain moments of the game."
Despite being the youngest European player to win 10 major tournament matches, Yamal has faced questions regarding his goalscoring output during this World Cup. The forward arrived at the tournament carrying a slight injury and has struggled to match the dazzling form he regularly displays for Barcelona in La Liga, often finding himself isolated from the opposition penalty area.
The teenager, however, has maintained his confidence despite the lack of goals. Addressing the critics, Yamal remained defiant: "If we win the World Cup, I think nobody will remember how many goals I scored or how many I didn't. If we win, we'll all be happy. That's all I want. I know that with my movement I draw a lot of opponents away; I can create space for a teammate. Anything I can do to help, even if I don't touch the ball in a play, will be a positive. I think everyone's obsessed with scoring goals, and we won the European Championship with me scoring a single goal."
Rodri was quick to point out that while Yamal still has tactical lessons to learn, his maturity has increased significantly since Spain's triumph at Euro 2024. The midfielder noted that the 19-year-old is no longer a surprise package but a settled member of the squad who is constantly looking to improve his game through feedback from the senior leadership group.
"I think he’s a player who already showed his maturity back in the Euros, and now that he’s two years older, you aren't quite as surprised by what he can do at his age. He’s a very mature young man who still has room to improve when it comes to reading the game, which is completely normal for his age, but we already know the level he's at. I’m the one who always tells him to keep going and not to stop playing if he doesn't get a foul, but he’s a young man who listens, who wants to learn, and above all, sets a real example with his attitude," the City star added.
With a place in the World Cup final on the line, Yamal has dismissed any suggestions of intimidation. Recalling Spain's successful recent history against Les Bleus, the winger insisted that La Rioja have nothing to fear when they take to the pitch on Tuesday. He pointed to the fact that Spain have won their last two encounters against Didier Deschamps' side as a reason for supreme confidence.
Rodri, however, expects a far tighter contest than the high-scoring 5-4 victory Spain enjoyed in last year's Nations League. "We can’t let that Nations League game, which finished 5-4 after we went 5-1 up, distract us from the reality of where we are now: at a World Cup. World Cup matches are a different beast; I don’t think it will be anywhere near as open, and I don't expect us to get as many chances. We’re going to be facing a much more solid French side that will be tough to break down, so I expect the game to go in a different direction," the captain concluded.