FC Barcelona, one of Europe’s and La Liga’s most reputed clubs, has not seen better times in the recent past, as they have fallen back behind arch-rivals Real Madrid and sometimes behind fellow competitors like Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.
After the recent arrival of German boss Hansi Flick, the team is expected to see some considerable changes and, as a result, some spark of the previous form, which now seems to be ancient history.
Though Flick is trying to build a formation with a bunch of attacking players and targeting several new additions to the team despite their low purse, Barca does not seem to have fortunes on their side. They have lost several players, especially in the midfield.
Gavi was ruled out of the game and could not mark a return for Spain ahead of Euro 2024; his return is not expected very early in the upcoming season. Alongside him is his Spanish teammate, Pedri, who has been ruled out due to an injury sustained in the early minutes of Spain’s encounter against Germany in the Euro Quarter-finals.
Frenkie De Jong missed the Euro for the Oranje, as the Dutch star is missed by Koeman and co. As they have advanced into the semis, he will equally be missed at Camp Nou, with some speculations awaiting his return sparked recently.
With all the missing links in the midfield, Flick needs to get his hands over a very fresh bunch of players, and some are looking at this chance as a golden opportunity to kick-start their campaign with Barca.
Unai Hernandez
Hernandez has been sporadic with the youth team. The 19-year-old Spanish youngster looks promising with 10 goals and an equal amount of assists in his outings with Barca Athletic.
His versatility to feature both as a central midfielder alongside Ilkay Gundogan and also as an optional number 10 will increase his potential under Flick, as the German boss often demands attacking players to imply his tactics over the game. Especially, he would fill in the void created by the absence of the Spanish attacking midfielder, Fermin Lopez.
Aleix Garrido
He is not considered the best of prospects due to his often injured status. However, the Spanish kid brings immense caliber and intense determination, which earned him a spotlight under Flick. With his return uncertain in the pre-season, his status seems unknown, yet Garrido can be an aid in the Barca midfield, especially in the absence of Gavi and the recently injured Pedri.
Noah Darvich
The most promising in the lot, the 17-year-old German midfielder has been of keen interest to Barca youth coach Rafa Marquez. Darvich’s natural style of play is very attacking, which suits Flick’s ideology.
With the absence of a promising player down the left flank and a huge void in the midfield, the player who had one of the most exciting youth careers will be a dignified interest for Flick in the pre-season.
