Flick to begin pre-Season on July 13 with several youth players

According to Sport, Flick will begin pre-season preparations for the new season on July 13.

The German coach knows that the World Cup will disrupt everything, so he hopes to make further adjustments to the team's physical reserves. Young players will get opportunities and may play a key role in the early stages of the new season.

Flick will lead the team in pre-season preparations for the third time as Barcelona coach. Since taking office in 2024, his arrival has meant a "revolution" for all aspects of the club. The German coach is increasingly adapting and feeling more at home within Barcelona. He works alongside staff at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper headquarters and, with his trusted coaching staff, monitors the growth and progress of La Masia's young talents. Since taking office, Flick has given 10 academy players their debuts, which is one of the most satisfying aspects of his coaching.

According to the club's previously announced schedule, Flick will begin this third pre-season preparation on July 13. This time, in some ways similar to his first pre-season preparation, Flick will have almost no first-team players available. It is expected that Gerard Martin, Wojciech Szczesny, Marc Bernal, Casado, and Alejandro Balde, who were first-team members last season, will undergo routine medical examinations on that day.

There are also variables, as Casado may leave on a transfer, and the club's idea is to finalize related matters before the start of pre-season preparations. In addition to the above players, Xavi Espart, Álvaro Cortés, and Tommy Mbacke will also join. They have been training with the first team, and Flick has asked them to start preparations in top condition. These players all have a chance to secure a first-team registration spot, but it will depend on how the transfer market develops.

Héctor Fort, after returning from his loan, will in principle also start training with the team. Pena's situation remains to be seen. According to previous reports from Sport, Yakko, who was on loan to Andorra, will be loaned out again. Next, youth team players and Barcelona B team players will fill out the squad, some of whom have been introduced by this newspaper previously, such as Ebrima, Oriol Goren, Gistau, and Hamza. At least seven or eight more players will join. The team plans to start preparations with 20 to 25 players.

Players participating in the World Cup will return to the team in batches based on when their respective teams are eliminated from the World Cup. Everyone will receive about three weeks of vacation, but some players, as usual, will want to shorten their vacation. Fermín López underwent surgery on his fifth metatarsal, and he will follow a specialized plan with the goal of being in good, recovered condition for the first league match. The specific situation remains to be seen.

Barcelona hopes to further adjust their preparation methods. This summer will be different and more complex. As players will start preparations in many batches, the team needs to develop personalized physical training plans. Flick's idea is to add another member to Julio Tous's physical training team to provide additional help for this uncertain season and further strengthen the team. The most popular candidate currently is Holger Broich, who served as a physical coach during Flick's time at Bayern. Broich played a decisive role in the Bayern team that won the sextuple and revolutionized the team's physical condition against the complex backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barcelona will travel to England for training on July 27. Flick is expected to conduct the first round of screening for academy players at that time, and not everyone will be able to go to the English FA training facility in Birmingham. The team plans to play two friendly matches, one a closed-door game against a Championship team, and the other against Birmingham at St. Andrew's Stadium. On August 3, Barcelona's training camp in England will conclude. Clearly, avoiding a transatlantic tour filled with events and long flights is good news for the German coach.