Galatasaray boss reveals his plan to stop one Barcelona star tonight.. with a strange warning

Hours before kick-off in Istanbul, Galatasaray’s coach revealed that his side have prepared a special plan to stop one Barcelona star, and described him in terms he did not hesitate over for a second.

At the same time, the Turkish coach issued a striking warning about the danger of focusing on that player alone, a tricky balance that will shape tonight’s game.

Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk told TNT Sports, in comments reported by Turkish outlets including Sozcu and T24, about Lamine Yamal: “He is an extraordinary player. But if you make a plan focusing only on him, your job becomes harder. We are playing against Barcelona.”

He added: “Even so, we have some plans to stop him. He is the best winger in the world,” confirming that his side have prepared specific measures to limit the threat of Barcelona’s number 10.

According to Mundo Deportivo’s analysis, the key to Galatasaray’s plan will be pressing the player who passes to Lamine and reducing the space available when he receives, because the Spaniard is at his most dangerous when he gets the ball on the right with room to turn and drive inside.

The analysis also notes that constantly sending a second player to him could open space for Barcelona’s midfielders and other attackers, which explains Buruk’s warning against turning the job of marking Lamine into an obsession that hurts the team.

Lamine Yamal scored a superb free kick in the opening round against Feyenoord, while Galatasaray lost 3-1 at Sporting CP on matchday one. Kick-off tonight is at 9pm CEST.