Barcelona’s tailored ‘mini pre-season’: Flick and his staff set homework for players

Preparations for the new season are already under way at Barcelona, even though many first-team players are still away on World Cup duty.

With the squad set to reconvene at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on 13 July, Hansi Flick and his coaching staff have put in place a specific physical programme to ensure everyone returns in the best possible condition, reports SPORT.

With several senior players unavailable, a large group of youngsters from Barça Atletic and the Under-19 side are expected to begin pre-season with the first team. Many of them have already started training individually during their holidays or from home.

Personalised plans before reporting

As per the report, Barcelona’s fitness coaches have provided players with tailored programmes designed to be followed around 10 to 15 days before the official start of pre-season.

The objective is to reactivate muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness and strengthen the areas of the body most exposed to the demands of intense training, particularly the lower limbs.

Flick and his staff have designed specific plans for players. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The aim is to prepare players for the double sessions that await them at Sant Joan Despi and to ensure they can cope with the heavy workload from the outset.

Learning from last year’s injury problems

One of the main goals is injury prevention. Barcelona are keen to avoid a repeat of last summer, when Ibrahim Diarra suffered a serious hamstring injury just days after pre-season had begun.

Several of the youngsters expected to report on 13 July have already started following these routines.

Tommy Marques has been seen training at a specialist centre in the Algarve, while Alvaro Cortes has been combining his holidays in Andalusia with gym work and individual sessions.

Orian Goren, Guille Fernandez, Toni and Alex Gonzalez, who joined from Damm earlier this year, are also working through their personalised plans.

They will be joined by first-team players who are available from day one, including Alejandro Balde, Gerard Martin and Wojciech Szczesny, all of whom are following the same strengthening programme.

More youngsters set for their chance

The list of academy players expected to work under Flick continues to grow.

Ebrima Tunkara will do pre-season with first team. (Picture credit: Instagram/@ebrimatunkara10)

In addition to those already mentioned, Ebrima Tunkara, Oscar Gistau, and Xavi Espart, who is currently competing in the Under-17 European Championship, are also in line to begin pre-season with the senior squad.

The demands will be high from the very beginning. Barcelona’s first friendly matches are scheduled just two to three weeks after the start of training, meaning there will be little time to ease into preparations.

Double sessions and heavy physical loads are expected, making this early conditioning programme crucial. Flick and his staff believe that arriving with a solid physical foundation will help players adapt quickly to the rhythm and intensity required at first-team level.

For many of the club’s youngsters, this “mini pre-season” could prove just as important as the official one.