Hansi Flick Refines Barcelona's Strategy Ahead of La Liga Season
On the eve of the La Liga season, Hansi Flick is done experimenting on the fringes. The Joan Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly is no longer just a showcase; it is effectively Barcelona’s dress rehearsal for Elche.
The academy presence has thinned out over pre-season as internationals have drifted back into camp. Training this morning was light, more about rhythm than intensity, but the real clues came a day earlier. Tuesday’s session, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, revealed the outline of Flick’s first competitive XI – and a few bold positional tweaks.
Kounde back to his roots, Farinas pushed wide
Three names stood out in unfamiliar roles: Jules Kounde, Raphinha and Brian Farinas. They were split across different training teams, but each was being quietly repositioned.
With Ronald Araujo gone and the right-back picture reshaped, Kounde has been nudged back towards his natural habitat. The Frenchman, long used as a full-back in Barcelona colours, was deployed centrally in the training game. It is a move the staff had been weighing up for weeks. Now, with Eric Garcia having convinced Flick on the right after last season’s performances, that shift looks close to becoming permanent.
Kounde lined up as a centre-back, tasked with organising and stepping out, the way he once did routinely in France and at Sevilla. Just to his right, another experiment: Farinas as a full-back.
Farinas has never been a winger for Barça Atletic, let alone a full-back. Yet Flick pushed him into that corridor, using him on the right side of Kounde to test his range and defensive instincts. It is a notable change in the internal hierarchy. The coach had previously floated Tommy Marques as a possible right-back option. Now Farinas has effectively jumped into that slot in the squad, at least for this phase of pre-season.
In midfield, Xavi Espart continued in the role he had taken up against FC Basel, operating again in the centre of the pitch during Tuesday’s session. Flick clearly wants another look at him in that zone, as a potential depth piece for the coming campaign.
Raphinha’s audition through the middle
Up front, the most striking tweak was a repeat. Raphinha, once more, led the line as a No. 9.
Flick had already tried the Brazilian in that role in the friendly against FC Basel, pairing him with Anthony Gordon, who the coach has also identified as an option through the middle. The experiment returned on Tuesday. Raphinha again operated as the central striker, asked to occupy centre-backs, run channels and finish moves instead of hugging the touchline.
On the opposite side in the training match was Hamza Abdelkarim, facing the club he grew up supporting. He is expected to battle directly with Raphinha for the starting centre-forward spot in the Gamper clash, a straight audition in front of Flick before the real season begins.
Gamper as a window into Elche
All of this points in one direction. The Gamper lineup against Al Ahly is unlikely to be a throwaway mix of stars and kids. Flick’s choices in training suggest he is closing in on the team that will start against Elche in the league opener.
Kounde at centre-back. Garcia at right-back. Farinas tested as a full-back option. Xavi Espart in midfield rotation. Raphinha as a possible No. 9, with Abdelkarim pushing him for that role.
For a ceremonial trophy, the stakes feel higher than usual. The real question now is simple: which of these experiments survives the jump from rehearsal to La Liga reality?
