Barcelona kicks off its tour of the United States with a match against Manchester City that looks attractive and will mark the debut of coach Hansi Flick
ORLANDO — Barcelona’s moment of truth has arrived in its first pre-season under Hansi Flick, who will open the season with a highly demanding friendly on Tuesday in Orlando, facing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, in which he will have to begin to show the personality of his philosophy as Barcelona coach.
Xavi Hernández’s replacement on the bench has imposed a greater physical demand in the first preparatory sessions, something that Robert Lewandowski publicly revealed, and although it is still early to examine the project that Flick will lead, he should begin to show some conclusions, both in his commitment to the double pivot and in the intention he already expressed in his presentation of playing with footballers, in the offensive phase, well open on the wings.
Hansi Flick, in training with Barcelona. Getty Images
The match, against a Manchester City side also heavily affected by absences, will serve to test to what extent the players apply the automatisms laid down by the German coach, from a more vertical game, with quick transitions, non-negotiable pressure on the opponent’s ball out and advanced defensive support.
An experimental Barça is understandable given the ten absences on the tour and also the minimal training of Ter Stegen, Gundogan and Raphinha who joined the pre-season this week. With the absences of the injured Gavi, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, De Jong and Ansu Fati, as well as the Olympians Èric García, Cubarsí and Fermín and the participants in the Eurocup who are still on holiday (Lamine Yamal, Ferran and Koundé), Flick will have to field a very experimental team in which the youth team will pass a first test.
