Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal and coach Hansi Flick have shared critical opinions on the team's performance against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

Barcelona share spoils with RayoYamal urges team to escalate intensityFlick not happy with teamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barca played out a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga yesterday. While Yamal gave the Catalans a good start in the first half by winning and converting a penalty, his team conceded a goal in the second half to share the spoils. After the fixture, both Yamal and manager Flick handed out critical notes from the game, with the winger urging his team to escalate their intensity. Flick, meanwhile, was not happy with his team's sharpness.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Barca started their La Liga campaign on a high, earning a 3-0 victory against Mallorca in their opener. In their second game, they defeated Levante 3-2. However, with their draw on Sunday, they sacrificed pole position in the table, and have dropped to the fourth place. El Casico rivals Real Madrid, meanwhile, moved into the top spot with victory over Mallorca.

WHAT YAMAL AND FLICK SAID

Yamal said to DAZN: "In the end, it's a very difficult pitch, and we lacked intensity, just like in the rest of the matches at the start of La Liga. We have to learn from this to get back to playing with the intensity we had last year after the break."

Flick commented: "Joan García, Eric [Garcia], and [Andreas] Christensen were good. The problem was in midfield and attack. We made so many mistakes. I’m not happy with my team. We did not play well. We didn’t play to our usual sharpness, we didn’t dominate as we should have, and we made many mistakes. When you play against a team that plays well, you have to play in different ways, and not make many mistakes. We should have played better."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BARCA?

Barca will play their first home game of the season on September 14, against Valencia, where they appear set to make their long-awaited Camp Nou return despite fears they would not receive the necessary permit.