Hansi Flick’s Barcelona face their first official game of the new season tomorrow night, and it will be a game of significance as the defending champions return to action after a long hiatus.
Given the number of absentees after the World Cup, Barcelona begin their new campaign one week after the official start of the event.
Their opponents on the night, Elche, will be playing their second game after drawing against Deportivo de A Coruna.
It will be a new look Barcelona in many ways, for players like Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres will not be available at the manager’s disposal.
There will, however, likely be some important debuts including Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and possibly Rodri.
Flick’s pre-game presserFacing the media ahead of Barcelona’s season opener against Elche, Flick was asked at length about his pre-season takeaways, the squad situation and other topics.
First, he was asked whether there was a need to manage the minutes of players who played in the FIFA World Cup, as was seen in his lineup for the Joan Gamper Trophy.
“It’s normal that those who played the World Cup don’t play 90 minutes. We have to handle it. It’s not easy, but there are no excuses.”
Barcelona’s top target. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Flick was then asked about the number nine situation and whether he ruled out Julian Alvarez as an option for the summer.
“I’m not worried about this. I’m not talking about players from other teams. We want to make the team stronger.”
“This is about the team, the club. It’s not about a player or me. Deco and I know what we want. They have done a fantastic job,” he added.
Staying on the same topic, the manager was quizzed on what his solutions for the striker position could be, to which he said,
“There are many options for the forward. The first one, I’m not sure. I think it won’t be difficult.”
“Hamza has had a great preseason. He is a 9, young, has a lot of potential and has scored goals. It’s the important thing when you play there. He has done a great job,” he elaborated, adding that Hamza Abdelkarim was a real option.
When pestered about Julian Alvarez’s situation once again, the manager said,
“I don’t know what you want to hear, but I say what I said before. I’m not talking about Julian. I don’t want to talk about this.”
On the transfer activityThe Barcelona manager was then asked about certain topics related to Barcelona’s summer transfer activity, particularly on whether more players can leave the club.
“The club is making a lot of changes. It’s normal when you want players to make the team stronger. We have been clear with these players and we have to wait until the end. This is the situation.”
He also specifically addressed the situation of Alejandro Balde and whether he counted on the player this season.
“It’s a difficult question. Balde has a lot of quality. For me it is important, as I have said before, you have to have the condition to compete in a home position and this I want to see in each player.”
“I see what they do every day, which shows me that they are ready to play at the highest level. In the end, we will only succeed as a team. We need everyone 100% committed to us,” he added.
Will the new signings make their debut? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Speaking on Rodri’s adaptation to Barcelona so far, the manager said,
“He has also trained in the field. We are happy that he is here. He is fantastic. He is a leader. His personality is great.”
Flick also went on to confirm that Joao Cancelo could have minutes tomorrow.
“Yes, he could play tomorrow. He is ready to play. He has great quality and a lot of passion. In the last season, he gave us a lot.”
On the game against ElcheFlick was then asked about Real Madrid signing Jose Mourinho as a direct rival to counter the success of his team, but the manager refused to comment on the same.
“Do we play tomorrow against Madrid? Well, ask me about Elche, please.”
Speaking on Elche and elaborating on what made them a strong rival, he added,
“It’s our first game, the second for them. We will need to give 100% of our level. A poor result is not acceptable. It’s important to win tomorrow.”
Finally, he was asked if he saw the team’s high line and high number of goals conceded as a problem.
“Sometimes it’s good to have changes in the teams. We have top players on the team and the quality is high.”
“In the end, there is competition in every position. It’s what makes you better. It is a privilege to train players of this quality. The quality I see in training is incredible,” he added.
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