This season, Barcelona will be aiming to mount a more significant title challenge than they managed last campaign and with new manager Hansi Flick at the club, supporters are feeling optimistic of that happening.
Flick has replaced club legend Xavi, who guided Barca to a second-placed finish last season. Xavi lasted two-and-a-half years in Catalonia and managed to deliver a La Liga title in the 2022/23 season but last season was a disappointing effort at defending the trophy. The Spaniard also consistently struggled in the Champions League and the club felt it was the right time to make a change.
Flick is undeniably one of the best managers in the world and has an extensive CV. He has won the Bundesliga twice, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Supercup, in a career that has seen him manage Bayern Munich and the German national team before venturing to Spain.
Barcelona is a unique club and the pressure that the manager faces is also different to any other club. The media and fan clamour can at times be extreme and was something that Xavi admitted he struggled to deal with. Flick is a determined and experienced character, and paired with the trophies he has won in his career, he is well suited to deal with the difficulties that will no doubt come during his time at Barca.
Early challenges for Flick
Flick, however, didn’t have an ideal start to pre-season. Most of his players were either at the Euros or Copa America when he took his first training session almost a month ago. Over half of the players at his disposal were playing for either the youth or second teams and players like Frenkie de Jong and Gavi were both still recovering from injuries and were not able to be utilised.
During this time, Flick made a point of emphasising how impressed he was with the La Masia academy and how much he was enjoying living in the city. Now, his squad is more beefed up and players are returning from injury.
The German has been employing training methods that are different to what is usually seen at Barca. He has focused on strength training for his players and is making them physically more imposing, something he believes will help them in the Champions League.
So far in pre-season, Barca have been touring America and they have played three friendlies against very high quality opposition. They have beaten Real Madrid and drawn with Manchester City and AC Milan. Flick was so happy with the performances of his players that he has given them three days of holidays, according to Diario AS.
Barcelona’s transfer window
Barcelona have been very quiet in the transfer window so far, signing only Pau Victor. Fans have been clamouring for a midfield addition but Flick recently said: “I think we are well covered in that position. Some of our midfielders are injured now but they will be back.”
The club are very close to signing Dani Olmo, and earlier in the window they were attempting to sign Nico Williams, but the winger opted to stay at Athletic Club instead.
Real Madrid won La Liga by a 10-point margin last season and they have strengthened by signing Kylian Mbappe. The sole signing of Olmo doesn’t feel like enough to bridge the gap and with Atletico Madrid being very ambitious this summer and signing players like Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher, it will be a competitive race for the title and Barca may yet need to dip into the market if they are to turn things around.
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