The inside scoop on Barça's grueling Asian tour

BarcelonaWhen Barça finishes the last match of its recent Asian tour, it will be 10 p.m. in South Korea. Getting out of the shower, Hansi Flick's players They will replenish their strength and fluids—the latter very necessary, considering the heat and humidity that has accompanied them throughout their stay—and will have to take a three-hour bus ride from Daegu to Incheon, the country's third most populous city, from where the fourteen-hour flight is scheduled to begin at 3:30 a.m. This will be the last of the inconveniences that will raise eyebrows among the members of the Barça squad, who during these days of training and various events in Asia have voiced some complaints related to the logistics and operations of the tour. "It was something to forget. It only served to make us angry," admits one of the internal sources consulted.

The transfers have been the subject of criticism from the players and coaches since the beginning of the trip. The first major setback was the delay of the outbound flight and the threat of the first match in Kobe being postponed due to problems with the organization. The owner and founder of Rakuten, a long-time sponsor of Barça, unblocked the issue and the expedition finally left for Japan in the mid-morning of Friday, July 25, twenty-four hours later than originally planned and with only one day to spare.jet lag including–, before the match against Vissel. Hiroshi Mikitani agreed with Alejandro Echevarría. Joan Laporta's former brother-in-law and key solver in the dressing room is the one who has brought peace to the tense situations, while the sporting director, Anderson Luís de Souza, Deco, traveled on the second leg of the tour, among other things, to help calm the tensions between Flick and the visiting players and executives. "Come, we'll make a corridor for you," Laporta joked upon the former Portuguese player's arrival in Seoul.

Aside from the initial confusion, the squad didn't understand why the flight between Japan and Korea didn't leave from Kobe Airport, located just 4 kilometers from the team hotel. "We had to go to Osaka – more than an hour away by road – because there was no airport in Kobe." slot", they explain from the locker room, where criticism has also been heard about the long journeys between the Seoul hotel and Goyang Stadium, where the team held two sessions before playing the second warm-up match, and the Paju National Football Center, where they trained before the match against Daegu. 0 more than the first in the most of the reception and the first of the second in the most of the reception of Daegu. 50 km. For this reason, Julio Tous and his team of trainers had to lead activation sessions in spaces within the same hotel to reduce travel on days of double sessions, with material expressly brought from Barcelona. The expedition arrived just in time, without much time to warm up, and Tous and company improvised an exercise circuit with ropes tied to the railings of the stands. of discomfort. Iñigo Martínez only played the first match, Eric Garcia missed the second and None of the three are out because the coach has prioritized rest at the slightest sign of injury with the maximum number of players on the mass

Another issue that has raised eyebrows among Flick and the players has been the new kit. In a context of high temperatures and humidity of over 80%, the fabric doesn't breathe enough, and sweat accumulates to the point that the shirt and shorts become too heavy. Sources in the dressing room consulted by ARA assure that this problem already existed last year and that Nike was asked to review its components. In this regard, Raphinha has confirmed internally that the Brazilian national team's kit is lighter than Barça's, according to the newspaper. Sport.

Aside from these details that have caused some discomfort among the squad and the board, the tour has served to allow Joan Garcia, Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji to get to know their teammates better. The Sallent goalkeeper has gotten along with the Bicing group –Iñigo Martínez, Dani Olmo, Eric Garcia, Pedri, and Ferran Torres–, and the English winger has begun to forge a rapport with Lamine Yamal, and the young Swedish prospect has become closer to the youngsters from La Masia, as well as Lewandowski and Szczesny, who speak English well. The three also applauded Héctor Fort's 19th birthday on Saturday. The Barcelona native blew out his candles knowing that Deco is recommending a loan for him to get playing time.

Dozens of other people have traveled to Asia with the team. Among the players' families were Sheila Ebana and little Keyne, Lamine Yamal's mother and younger brother, as well as Pedri's parents and Gerard Martín's parents, who regularly travel with their children. The club's expedition included eight directors, two advisors, and around 20 accompanying personnel. Thirty-five staff members also completed the tour, including Gabriel Martínez's debut as head of football communications, which has ensured that the media received significantly better attention from the team compared to previous preseasons.