Hansi Flick Prepares Barcelona for La Liga with Gamper Trophy
Hansi Flick has one more dress rehearsal before the curtain goes up on his first La Liga season with Barcelona, and he is treating the Joan Gamper Trophy like anything but a friendly.
With the academy contingent steadily trimmed and the internationals back in the fold, tonight’s clash with Al Ahly at the Olympic Stadium is set to offer the clearest glimpse yet of the side that will open the league campaign against Elche. The morning brought only a light training session, featuring new signing Rodri, but the real clues came a day earlier.
On Tuesday, behind closed doors, Flick started to show his hand.
Kounde back in the heart of defence
Three names, three new roles: Jules Kounde, Raphinha and Brian Farinas all stepped into unfamiliar territory during an internal training match, each on different sides.
Kounde’s switch is the most symbolic. Long touted as a centre-back playing out of position, he has spent much of his Barcelona career shunted to the right. The coaching staff had already been weighing a return to his natural role, and the summer departure of Ronald Araujo has only pushed that door wider open.
With Eric Garcia now regarded by Flick as his first-choice right-back after a strong campaign in that role, the path down the middle has cleared for Kounde. On Tuesday, he lined up as a central defender, a move that feels less like an experiment and more like a reset.
Alongside that reshuffle, Xavi Espart continued his own adaptation. Used in midfield in the friendly against FC Basel, he again operated in the middle of the park during the session, reinforcing the idea that Flick sees him as an option between the lines rather than out wide or deeper.
Farinas pushed wide in defensive gamble
The most curious tweak came on Kounde’s right. Brian Farinas, a player who has never featured as a full-back with Barça Atletic, was deployed as a right-back, effectively on the outside of Kounde.
Flick has previously spoken of Tommy Marques as a potential solution in that role, but Tuesday’s session suggested a change of plan. Farinas has now stepped into that space in the squad, at least for this phase of pre-season, and the staff wanted to see how he coped with the demands of defending the flank.
For a player schooled centrally, it is a bold test. For Flick, it is another piece in a puzzle that must be solved before Elche arrive.
Raphinha through the middle again
Up front, the coach returned to an idea he clearly likes: Raphinha as a No. 9.
Just as he did against Basel, Flick used the Brazilian as a centre-forward, trusting his movement and aggression to lead the line rather than hug the touchline. In that earlier friendly, Raphinha operated alongside Anthony Gordon, another name Flick has openly floated as an option through the middle.
The internal game added another layer of intrigue. On the opposing team was Hamza Abdelkarim, preparing to face his boyhood club and, on current evidence, to battle Raphinha for the starting spot in the Gamper. It is a contest that could echo into the league opener if Flick likes what he sees.
So the stakes for tonight are clear. Barcelona will lift a trophy at the end of it, as tradition dictates, but the real prize for Flick is clarity. If the hints from training hold, the XI that walks out against Al Ahly may not just be a showcase for the fans — it may be the first draft of his La Liga Barcelona.
