Rodri's Tailored Training Plan Ahead of Elche Opener
Rodri’s first real day at work as a Barcelona player did not come with the usual fanfare of rondos and group photos. The club’s marquee summer signing stepped onto the training pitch on Friday, but away from the main group and under a strictly individual programme.
The World Cup winner had already taken part in the pre-match activation before the Joan Gamper Trophy, a light taste of Barça life. This was different. This was the start of the plan designed to bring him up to Hansi Flick’s physical standards after his post-holiday break.
He has only been back in full work for a few days. Physically, he insists, there is nothing to worry about. During his presentation, the 30-year-old Madrid-born midfielder cut off any lingering doubts over his fitness.
“I’m ready to play already. The back operation that was talked about was nothing, it was an outpatient procedure. I’m ready to train with the team and, when the coach decides, once I’ve got some rhythm, I’ll be ready to play. I hope it will be as soon as possible.”
Those words set the tone. Eager, confident, but ultimately subject to Flick’s timetable.
Flick sticks to his line: no risks
After a rest day on Thursday, Barça regrouped at the training ground to start preparing for Sunday’s trip to Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero. The session carried the usual intensity of a season’s first official match on the horizon. Rodri did not match that tempo.
He worked, but not at the same rhythm as his new teammates. The club’s staff kept him on his personalised plan, a step behind the collective load, a step closer to full sharpness.
Even so, it is too early to cross his name off the squad list for Elche. Saturday’s final training session and Flick’s press conference will be decisive in revealing whether the midfielder can be thrown straight into his first official minutes in blaugrana.
The German coach has repeated the same message in recent weeks: no gambles. Every player will be given the time they need to reach full fitness. Reputation, transfer fee, excitement – none of that trumps the physical data on his desk.
If Rodri’s debut has to wait, it will. The plan comes first.
Cancelo back in the fold – on the pitch, not yet on the books
On the other side of the pitch, another familiar face finally felt like a Barça player again. Joao Cancelo trained with the group on Friday, fully integrated after weeks of uncertainty as his return to Spotify Camp Nou dragged on.
The Portuguese full-back, who had been stuck in limbo waiting for his move to be finalised, now has what he wanted most: a ball at his feet and teammates around him. He completed the session normally with all available first-team players.
The catch sits away from the grass. Flick can only use Cancelo if the club manage to register him in time. At the moment, none of the new signings have been registered for official competition. Even Andreas Christensen, who renewed his contract this summer, is still waiting for his registration to be processed.
So Cancelo runs, presses, and overlaps in training, but his place in the squad list for Elche remains in the hands of the offices, not the coach.
To boost numbers, several youngsters joined the senior group: Eder Aller, Xavi Espart, Jordi Pesquer, Ebrima Tunkara, Orian Goren, Hamza Abdelkarim, Brian Farinas and Alvaro Cortes all trained under Flick’s watchful eye, tasting first-team intensity as the season edges into view.
Barça’s opener at Elche is almost here. The question now is simple: how many of the club’s “new” faces will actually be on the pitch when it starts?
