While the world has its eyes set on the upcoming Copa America and European Championships, the offices in Barcelona see no rest.
Coming off the back of a trophy-less season, Joan Laporta and Co. did not hesitate to axe Xavi and his staff and replace him with Hansi Flick. The German tactician swiftly sprung into action and was in Catalonia this week.
In recent days, Barcelona representatives and Flick got the chance to sit down together and discuss the plan for the season ahead, the transfer situation and the squad for the season ahead.
Alex Pintanel provides an update on the first major meeting.
Positive impressions
As revealed by the Spanish journalist, Flick met with Deco and Bojan Krkic during his visit to Barcelona and discussed his ideology in depth with the administrators.
Sources close to the club reveal that the German manager has left a very positive image on the administration and got off on the right foot at his new club.
Those who met and interacted with Flick describe him as a friendly, attentive and dedicated individual who is very excited and eager to begin training the team.
Flick also met with members of the club facilities who will play a part in his team during his coming spell.
Eyes on the academy
One of the most striking takeaways from Flick’s visit to Barcelona was that despite the time constraint, the manager made time to follow the training of Barça Atletic who are scheduled to play a critical qualification game in the coming days.
It is no secret that the new manager is a fan of the academy and its numerous talents. However, his keen interest in following the developments is only a sign that he understands the task at hand and that he is willing to bet on young stars.
Flick is thus expected to take several Barça Atletic and La Masia stars to pre-season with him later next month.
After all, players like Unai Hernandez and Marc Casado have shown enough to warrant a chance with the senior setup.