Barcelona Assistant Coach Had To Calm Down Frustrated Player After Win Over Mallorca: Report

FC Barcelona assistant coach Oscar Hernandez was reportedly seen calming down a frustrated player after the side's 2-1 win in La Liga on Sunday.

Head coach Xavi Hernandez did not use Adama Traore in the 2-1 victory over Mallorca. This annoyed the forward, according to Spanish journalist Santi Ovalle. However, International Business Times could not verify it independently.

In a photo shared by Ovalle on his social media account, Oscar was seen talking to Traore. According to the journalist, Oscar was reassuring the player that he was very much in Xavi's plans despite falling in the boss' pecking order.

Traore moved from Wolves to Barcelona on loan during the 2022 January transfer window. He started off his second stint with the Catalans on a high, providing two assists in his first two appearances in La Liga. His performances were quite crucial as Barcelona were undergoing a transition phase. In fact, the club is still going through it.

However, Traore these days has been constantly overlooked by manager Xavi, who has opted to stick with the front three of Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele on the majority of occasions.

Xavi did tweak his playing XI against Mallorca on Sunday as he handed Mephis Depay a start ahead of Dembele, who later on came as a substitute. Young Ansu Fati also came off the bench as he made his first appearance for the Catalans after a long injury layoff. Fati's return was a massive boost for the Blaugrana.

Unfortunately, Traore was left as an unused substitute. The Spanish forward has not started a single league game since early March and has been an unused substitute in four of Barça's last four league games.

Depay, who missed nine games for Barcelona earlier this year due to injuries, opened the scoring for the Camp Nou side against Mallorca. It was the Dutchman's 12th goal in 34 games, apart from his two assists.

In a post-match interview, when reporters asked Xavi about Depay's future at Barcelona, the former midfielder replied, "I'm not talking about the future, I'm talking about the present and the matches to come. Memphis is playing today because he had a fantastic week of training, another would have given up and he didn’t, we need players with that attitude."

Earlier, Real Madrid thrashed Espanyol 4-0 and sealed the 2021-22 La Liga title. With 66 points, Barcelona are second in the table and are aiming to finish in the top four to secure a Champions League slot for the next campaign.