Barcelona determined to solve the team’s physical problems under Flick

Barcelona’s appointment of Hansi Flick as the new head coach marks a significant moment in the club’s history.

For the first time in a while, the club have hired a manager, who can bring forth a complete culture change and is not accustomed to the tradition of the club, both tactically and culturally.

But that might be a good thing for Barça, as there were multiple lapses in the way the club was coached by the previous regime, led by Xavi Hernandez.

Inefficiencies in fitness levels under Xavi

A recent report from Diario SPORT has highlighted that Barcelona were not too happy with the physical condition of the team this past season. 

Players were often injured while others just simply were not fit enough to help Barcelona compete with Real Madrid throughout the course of the season.

Barcelona were unhappy with Xavi’s training regime (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

There were doubts about whether Xavi and his technical staff had put enough pressure on the players to retain the highest fitness levels. This comes on the back of earlier reports which suggested that players themselves were not happy with Xavi’s laid-back training regime.

Robert Lewandowski, in particular, was one of the key rebels in the Barcelona camp. The Pole was unhappy that Xavi was not putting too much pressure on the players, from a fitness standpoint.

Change of culture under Flick?

Barcelona will be hoping these shortcomings to get fixed once new coach Hansi Flick starts training the squad this summer.

The German tactician is a stickler for manners and is a respected figure in any dressing room. His stature, coupled with his discipline could add some much-needed zest to the Barcelona squad next season.

Barcelona, for their part, are determined to change this lacklustre approach to fitness, which is why there could be an overhaul in the support staff as well, as the club gear up for the season ahead.