This Sunday, the 2025-2026 season officially kicks off for Barça with the traditional medical tests at the Ciutat Esportiva. It will be the starting signal for a campaign that comes with great excitement, especially after the spectacular end to the previous season, in which the team achieved the domestic treble.
The German coach is facing his second year in charge of the Barça bench with the ambition to consolidate the project and keep achieving success. Flick has instilled a winning mentality that has deeply resonated with both the squad and the club's environment. Now, with a preseason that has barely had any surprises, the German will be able to work from day one with all available players.
The entire squad from day one
One of the great advantages that Barça will have this preseason is that, unlike other years, all first-team players will be available starting this Sunday. The absence of major international tournaments this summer has allowed the squad to enjoy a full month of rest.
In addition, Barça hasn't participated in the Club World Cup, unlike other major European clubs such as Real Madrid or City. This situation has given the coaching staff more time to plan calmly, without changes in the workload or prolonged absences of players. It's an ideal context for Flick to start tactical preparation from the very first minute.
Flick wants a defined squad now
In this scenario, Flick has made a very clear request to the sporting management, which is that he wants to have the squad defined before Sunday. The coach considers it crucial to start the preseason without distractions, without players who are just passing through, and without uncertainties about who will really be part of the team.
The idea is to be able to work from day one with a closed group, in which all players are fully committed to the project. Flick doesn't want to repeat situations from previous years in which there were footballers training for weeks even though it was already known they wouldn't be part of the plans.
Two players pointed out
In this regard, there are two names that have already been singled out by Flick to leave before Sunday: Oriol Romeu and Iñaki Peña. The Catalan midfielder returns to the club after his loan at Girona, but he isn't in the coach's plans.
Iñaki Peña's case is similar. The goalkeeper has lost the coaching staff's trust and they're looking for an immediate exit for him. With Szczesny as the second goalkeeper, and with Joan Garcia as the first, neither Iñaki nor Ter Stegen are counted on.