Barcelona's First XI Under Hansi Flick Takes Shape
Hansi Flick didn’t need to spell anything out after Barcelona edged Al Ahly 2-1 in the Joan Gamper Trophy. His team sheet did the talking.
Across pre-season, the German has quietly drawn the outline of his first La Liga XI. Sunday’s opener against Elche is coming fast, and fitness — or the lack of it — is driving some big calls.
Some of the club’s headline names are still short of full sharpness. That has pushed Flick towards those who have been present, durable and adaptable over the summer. The friendlies have stopped being experiments and started to look like rehearsals.
On Wednesday night, one change in attack hinted at something more.
A spine takes shape
The clearest clues lie behind the forwards.
Joan Garcia looks nailed on to start in goal. Flick has leaned on him consistently, and nothing in the Gamper suggested a late rethink.
Ahead of him, Eric Garcia has gone from centre-back option to first-choice right-back. He has started there often enough in pre-season that it now feels less like a trial and more like a decision.
Gerard Martin, meanwhile, has quietly climbed the ladder. His performances have earned trust, and he is now expected to partner Andreas Christensen at the heart of the defence. That pairing has been Flick’s go-to when he has wanted stability.
On the left, Alejandro Balde’s return against Al Ahly was one of the night’s most encouraging sights for Barcelona. His minutes in the Gamper weren’t just symbolic; they put him firmly in contention to start against Elche.
The midfield picture is even clearer.
Marc Bernal has been the fixed point, the central anchor around which everything else turns. On either side, Xavi Espart and Fermin Lopez have separated themselves from the pack. Flick has returned to that trio often enough that it now looks like his first real midfield bet of the season.
Put all of that together and the likely XI for Elche already looks very different from the side most fans would name if everyone were fully fit. Flick, though, is rewarding rhythm and reliability. Availability has become a selection weapon.
The attack: one big question
Up front, the puzzle is not complete.
Raphinha is the one certainty. Flick has shown no sign of dropping him, and his role on one flank is all but guaranteed.
The other wing is a straight fight. Karim Adeyemi has built up credit with regular minutes under Flick this summer. Lamine Yamal, though, brings a level of talent that demands consideration, even if his pre-season involvement has been less constant. That decision may go down to the final training sessions.
The real intrigue sits in the middle.
Hamza Abdelkarim has been Flick’s most-used striker during the friendlies, leading the line in game after game. On paper, that makes him the favourite to start as the No. 9 against Elche.
But then came the Gamper twist.
When Hamza was withdrawn against Al Ahly, Flick didn’t turn to a traditional centre-forward. He pushed Anthony Gordon into the central role. It wasn’t a cosmetic shuffle. It looked deliberate, a live test under the Camp Nou lights of a different kind of reference point.
Flick has spent much of pre-season probing for solutions at centre-forward, trying profiles rather than names. Gordon’s spell through the middle suggested he is not just an emergency option out of position, but a genuine candidate to start there when the league begins.
That switch does not automatically demote Hamza. It does, though, send a clear message: the No. 9 shirt is not locked down, and Gordon is firmly in the conversation.
With Elche looming, Flick’s first Barcelona league XI is starting to emerge. The spine seems set. The wings have contenders. And at the tip of it all, one decision up front could define how this new era begins.
