Barcelona’s Basel Test: Hansi Flick Evaluates World Cup Stars and Young Talents
Barcelona touch down in Basel on Sunday not just for another pre-season run-out, but for Hansi Flick’s first real look at his squad with the World Cup dust finally settled.
The friendly in Switzerland brings back a cluster of internationals who only rejoined training this week after their summer exploits. According to “Mundo Deportivo”, Flick has wasted no time calling several of them into the travelling party, though he is still holding back midfield pair Pedri and Gavi as they continue to manage their returns.
Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Joan García, Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Gordon and Jules Koundé are all on the list and in line for minutes. For some, it is about rhythm. For others, it is a first audition under a new coach who is already sketching out his plans for the season.
The squad flew to Switzerland ahead of schedule, using the trip as a mini-camp inside Flick’s broader pre-season programme. The objective is clear: sharpen legs, reintroduce the internationals to the team’s patterns and start building the intensity he expects once competitive games arrive.
Youth, though, is not just along for the ride.
Reserve goalkeeper Eder Aller has made the journey and trained with the first team, stepping in while Aron Yaakobishvili’s proposed move to Almería remains on hold. It is a small window of opportunity, but Flick has been quick to open it.
He has also padded out the group with a wave of academy and fringe talent: Álvaro Cortés, Xavi Espart, Jordi Pesquer, Brian Fariñas, Aurián Gorin and Jesse Bissiwu, joined by Egyptian youngster Hamza Abdelkarim and Ibrahima Toncara. For that group, Basel is not a friendly. It is a shop window.
For Flick, the stakes are different but no less serious. This match against Switzerland offers a live measure of his returning stars’ fitness while putting several young prospects under the spotlight. With the new campaign fast approaching, every minute in Basel is a chance for someone to change their place in his plans.
