New Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has spent nearly two weeks in charge of preseason training with his new squad, although currently he is limited to just 12 first-team players. He is starting to put his stamp on the side though, with plenty of workload.
So far Barcelona’s squad have had just one day of rest per week, and each of their last six days of training have been double-sessions. Despite the heat, Flick and new head of fitness Julio Tous are working his side hard, and Diario AS say the intensity and level of work has not been seen since Luis Enrique left the club.
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Flick is reportedly keen to use this time as best as possible to push the players, knowing that once they are on their preseason tour, where they will face AC Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester City in the space of eight days, he will have little opportunity to work his side hard. While his training sessions are not long, rarely is there a pause for players to catch their breath, as they are constantly on the go, trying to up the intensity.
Whether this pays dividends will only be seen in the coming months. One of the most common tropes about a new manager coming in is that they are improving the fitness of the players, while Xavi Hernandez told the press late last season that his team was one of the fittest in Spain. Flick will give his first press conference on Thursday, at 13:00 CEST.
