Barcelona's La Liga XI: Insights from Pre-Season
Hansi Flick did not need a press conference soundbite to make his point. Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy said enough.
Across pre-season, the German has been quietly sketching out his first La Liga XI. Sunday’s opener against Elche is no longer an abstract idea; it’s taking shape in his team sheets, his substitutions, his small in-game experiments.
Fitness has driven many of those calls. Several players who would normally walk into Barcelona’s strongest side are still short of full sharpness, and Flick has responded in the most straightforward way a coach can: he has leaned on those who have been available, and he has played them. A lot.
The friendlies have turned into an extended audition. Some players have become fixtures. Others have been shuffled around, pushed into unfamiliar zones, asked different questions. The Gamper Trophy, traditionally a curtain-raiser, doubled as one last tactical rehearsal — and one attacking change in particular felt like more than just a routine swap.
A spine emerges from pre-season
The clearest clues are at the back and in midfield.
In goal, Joan Garcia looks set to keep his place. Flick has not wavered there. In front of him, Eric Garcia has done enough to pull ahead as the preferred right-back option, a notable shift for a player more commonly associated with the centre of defence.
Gerard Martin has also taken a significant step forward. His performances have convinced Flick, and the expectation is that he will line up alongside Andreas Christensen in central defence against Elche. Alejandro Balde’s return in the Gamper Trophy offered another timely boost. His minutes against Al Ahly did not feel like token involvement; they put him firmly in contention to start at left-back on Sunday.
If the back line looks relatively settled, the midfield feels even more defined.
Marc Bernal has been the constant. Flick has repeatedly used him as the central pivot, the anchor around which everything else moves. Either side of him, Xavi Espart and Fermin Lopez have emerged as the leading candidates to complete the trio. Game after game, that combination has reappeared, gaining rhythm and familiarity.
Taken together, these choices point towards a starting XI that will look very different from the one most supporters would name if every player were fully fit. This is a team shaped by availability and reliability rather than reputation. Flick seems determined to reward those who have trained, played, and delivered throughout the summer, even if it means leaving some bigger names on the bench for now.
The big question: who leads the line?
The real uncertainty lies further forward.
On the right, there is no debate. Raphinha will start. Flick has treated him as a fixed piece in an otherwise shifting puzzle.
On the opposite flank, the contest is more open. Karim Adeyemi carries the advantage of minutes and trust: Flick has used him regularly in pre-season, and that consistency matters. But Lamine Yamal’s sheer talent refuses to stay in the background. His quality keeps the door open, even if Adeyemi currently holds the stronger claim.
Then comes the most intriguing decision of all — the No. 9.
Hamza Abdelkarim has been Flick’s go-to striker across the friendlies, the most frequently used option through the middle. Every lineup seemed to underline his status as the leading centre-forward.
Then came the twist.
Against Al Ahly, when Hamza went off, Flick did not turn to another orthodox striker. He pushed Anthony Gordon into the central role. One switch, but a telling one. Gordon, more commonly associated with wide positions, suddenly found himself as the focal point of the attack.
That move felt like more than an experiment for its own sake. Flick has spent much of pre-season probing for different solutions at centre-forward, and Gordon’s deployment through the middle in the Gamper Trophy suggested he is now a genuine candidate to start there against Elche.
It does not automatically demote Hamza. His pre-season workload still places him firmly in contention. But the message was clear: Flick is prepared to treat Gordon as a central reference point when the game demands it.
Barcelona head into Sunday with a spine built on summer form and fitness, and an attack that still carries one big, fascinating question. Who will be the man leading the line when Flick’s first La Liga XI finally walks out?
