​Hansi Flick enters his third season in charge of FC Barcelona with a squad split by the World Cup, a fresh wave of La Masia prospects, and an attack still acclimating to life without Robert Lewandowski. There will be no grand reunion when Barcelona reconvenes on 13 July for the standard medicals and physical assessments that mark the start of a pre-season tour that will eventually take the group to St George’s Park in England. Yet the group stepping through the training-ground doors will hardly resemble the one expected to kick off the competitive campaign. Some of Barcelona’s most influential players are still chasing World Cup glory, while others have only just returned and are on holiday. A number of academy graduates, meanwhile, are about to learn that this pre-season will be more about establishing themselves than simply making up the numbers.
The early weeks won’t reveal Flick’s finished Barcelona blueprint, but they may offer early glimpses of the plan. Here are three things to watch as Barcelona begin pre-season under the German coach.
Barcelona’s summer will unfold with one squad in Catalonia and another scattered across North America. Sixteen Barça players initially went to the World Cup. Eight members of Spain’s squad have reached the semi-finals, where they will face France, featuring Jules Koundé. Barcelona still have several players at the tournament. Anthony Gordon’s England, meanwhile, are set to meet Norway in the quarter-finals on 11 July, with the Three Lions likely to advance. The club has already stated that its World Cup representatives will not return at the start of pre-season.
For those who reach the final on 19 July, the gap between international duty and Barcelona’s competitive kick-off could become dangerously short. Flick is therefore preparing two distinct groups. One cohort will spend the latter half of July rebuilding physical conditioning, absorbing the staff’s instructions, and contesting for places in the squad. The other will return with match rhythm already in place, but carrying a month of high-stakes tournament football in both body and mind.
Even after their international commitments, some players will have only limited rest—certainly not enough—after logging heavy minutes last season for Barcelona. Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsà, and Jules Koundé aren’t just members of the squad; they are among Flick’s first names on the team sheet. Reintroducing them too quickly could be dangerous. Giving them too much time away could leave Barcelona underprepared for the season’s start. Flick must carefully blend players who have trained for weeks with those who have barely stopped competing.
This pre-season is less about tactical tinkering and match results and more about building a cohesive base for the long run ahead. The challenge lies in reconciling the needs of a squad with a World Cup hangover, integrating fresh academy talents, and shaping an attacking unit that can adapt without Lewandowski. The coming weeks will test Flick’s patience and planning as he carves out a blueprint that can bear fruit when the season begins.