Hansi Flick Sharpens Barcelona Strategy Ahead of Gamper Trophy

On the eve of La Liga, Hansi Flick has stopped experimenting for the sake of it. The Joan Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly is no longer just a gala night at the Olympic Stadium; it is his dress rehearsal.

The academy presence has thinned out over pre-season, the internationals have trickled back, and the squad now looks like the one that will carry Barcelona into the opener against Elche. This morning brought only a light session, a final tune-up that included new signing Rodri. The real clues came 24 hours earlier.

Kounde back to his roots

Tuesday’s training game told a different story to much of last season. Jules Kounde, long used as a makeshift right-back, was dropped back into the heart of defence.

The idea has been on the table for weeks. With Ronald Araujo gone and Eric Garcia convincing Flick on the right side after last year’s work, the path has cleared for Kounde to reclaim his natural role. On the training pitch, the coaching staff put that plan into action: Kounde at centre-back, organising, defending the box, looking every bit the specialist the squad now needs there.

Just ahead of him, another tweak. Xavi Espart again operated in midfield, mirroring his role in the friendly against FC Basel. Flick clearly sees a profile he can recycle in the engine room, and the youngster is being asked to adapt quickly.

Farinas pushed wide, hierarchy shifts

The surprise came on Kounde’s outside. Brian Farinas, a player who has never featured as a full-back for Barça Atletic, lined up on the right flank of the defence.

It was a deliberate move. Flick wanted to see how the academy player coped in a role that demands both aggression and composure in wide areas. Only weeks ago, the coach had publicly floated Tommy Marques as a potential right-back solution. Now Farinas has stepped into that space in the squad, at least for this phase of pre-season.

One training game does not settle a hierarchy, but it does show where a manager’s curiosity lies. On Tuesday, Farinas had it.

Raphinha through the middle again

Up front, the pattern is becoming hard to ignore. Raphinha, so often the winger hugging the touchline, again led the line as a No. 9.

Flick used him there against FC Basel and repeated the move in this latest internal match. The Brazilian operated as the central reference point, with Anthony Gordon still very much in the conversation as another option through the middle, just as the coach has hinted.

On the opposite side in training stood Hamza Abdelkarim, the forward who will face his boyhood club Al Ahly in the Gamper and who is expected to battle Raphinha for minutes in that central role tonight. The duel is subtle for now, but it is real.

A Gamper with real consequences

The Gamper often feels like a celebration. This time it doubles as a selection meeting in front of a full stadium.

With the internationals back, the youngsters filtered, and roles being redrawn for Kounde, Farinas and Raphinha, Flick’s choices against Al Ahly will offer more than just spectacle. If Tuesday’s session is any guide, the XI that walks out tonight will look very close to the one that opens La Liga against Elche.

The experiments are almost over. Now comes the team that has to live with them.