Three talking points ahead of Elche vs Barcelona | La Liga MD 2

Three talking points ahead of Elche vs Barcelona | La Liga MD 2 Barcelona and Hansi Flick have enjoyed a special run over the past two seasons, winning five trophies, including back-to-back La Liga titles. On Sunday night, the club kick off their third season under the German coach’s tutelage as they face off against Elche away from home in La Liga. The excitement could not be any higher ahead of the team’s first game of the brand new season, especially given how they have gone on and signed some of the best names in world football this summer. A large part of the contingent is still not ready to start given that they returned late from vacation, but Hansi Flick has more than required depth to start off with a win. Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Elche vs Barcelona. Welcome the defending champions “We must give value to this league [and] the eight leagues in 11 years. Maybe now we don’t appreciate it, but over time we will realize how difficult it is to do this.” These were the words of Barcelona’s captain Lionel Messi ahead of the 2019-20 season at a time when the club’s faithful began centring the success of the team purely on the UEFA Champions League, underplaying the team’s domestic dominance. As he predicted, the club soon faced a downfall no-one saw coming. From the 2019-20 season, the team won La Liga only once in five years, and the difficulty of domestic dominance was brought back into perspective for the fans. Flick’s arrival has once again reinstated the same sense of domestic dominance, as Barcelona have won the league back-to-back in the past two seasons. With that success, however, also comes a sense of entitlement and makes fans forget the difficulty of winning La Liga. As the team steps in as defending champions going for the third straight title, it is critical that there is a memory of Messi’s famous words. Real Madrid have strengthened themselves significantly ahead of the new season, and it is clear that they see this season’s league as non-negotiable. Barcelona will have to match that hunger throughout the season, paying no heed to the fact that they have had Real Madrid’s number in recent years. Tomorrow, that new chapter begins, and it must be with the same sense of humility that Flick has always maintained in his squad. An extension of pre-season Marquee summer signing Rodri might not feature vs Elche. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Barcelona had the single-largest contingent in the Spanish national team at the recent FIFA World Cup. With Spain going all the way, a significant chunk of core players only returned to training a week ago. Having just completed their vacation and returned to training, it is clear that many names may not be prepared to jump into a starting role in the first game. In that sense, it would not be surprising if Flick takes a cautious approach to tomorrow’s clash with big names on the bench and prefers trusting the players who shone in pre-season and are more match-fit. Pau Cubarsi was completely rested in the Joan Gamper trophy, likely because the team needs him from the very first game, and may be an anomalous exception to that generalisation. Lamine Yamal, who has returned sharp and prepared, may also start on the night. The likes of Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo and even Rodri, meanwhile, could well start on the bench and have a limited role. Instead, the manager could use the opportunity to hand out minutes to Xavi Espart, Marc Bernal, Hamza Abdelkarim, Karim Adeyemi and others who stood out over the past month. What is Flick’s No. 9 plan? At this point, Barcelona’s squad is complete barring a number nine and a new central defender. Of the two, it is the former department where the manager faces a bigger problem. With Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both no longer at the club and a replacement not yet signed, Flick must find a creative solution to the number 9 problem against Elche on Sunday night. So far in pre-season, the coach has looked to place Raphinha as a No. 9 nine with Adeyemi and Gordon flanking him. Given that even Yamal is available and that there are sufficient options on the wings, Flick could well look to try Raphinha as a striker once more. There is, however, another very compelling option in Hamza Abdelkarim – Barcelona’s standout pre-season performer who has shown to have a special instinct in front of goal. The teenager is undoubtedly very talented and has made a strong case to be Barcelona’s No. 9 if a new signing cannot be completed. Tomorrow’s game could well be an audition on that front to see how the player can perform under pressure. A third option is to deploy Anthony Gordon as the No. 9 or Dani Olmo or Fermin Lopez as a false nine. Flick’s training sessions so far, however, do not indicate that as a likely possibility. All eyes, needless to say, will be on what tactical tweak Flick makes to cover the number nine void and how it affects Barcelona’s efficiency in front of goal.