Barcelona Launches Title Defence Without Rodri
Hansi Flick will have to start his first La Liga campaign as Barcelona coach without his headline summer signing.
The German confirmed on Saturday that Rodri, brought in from Manchester City for a fee that could climb to 76.5 million euros, will not feature in Sunday’s opener away to Elche.
“He’s very concentrated, focused, our plan is that he will arrive on Monday with the team,” Flick told reporters. “This is the plan. He’s a fantastic player, a leader, and his personality is very great.”
So the champions begin without the Spanish World Cup winner, but with the clear intention of building their new-look midfield around him as soon as he joins full training. Flick hinted Rodri could be ready as early as Thursday’s clash with Athletic Bilbao, a rapid integration for a player expected to anchor Barcelona’s next cycle.
Attack under construction after big-name exits
If midfield looks reinforced, the forward line is a work in progress.
With Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres gone, Barcelona enter the season without a recognised senior centre-forward. The club are still scouring the market for a striker, yet Flick refused to reveal who will lead the line at the Martinez Valero.
What he did do was shine a light on one of pre-season’s surprise stories: 18-year-old Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim.
“Hamza is having a really great pre-season,” said Flick. “He’s a number nine, he’s young, and he has a lot of potential, and also he scored goals. This is the important thing when you’re playing in this position, and he made a great job.”
Four goals in friendlies have thrust Abdelkarim into the conversation, at least as an option off the bench. His emergence offers Flick a different profile to the fluid, interchanging front line he has also been testing.
New signings Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, both natural wingers, can operate through the middle as false nines. So can Raphinha and Dani Olmo. It gives Barcelona variety, but also underlines the absence of a pure, experienced finisher as the season kicks off.
Cancelo ready, structure taking shape
One new arrival is available immediately. Joao Cancelo, signed this week to strengthen the flanks, has already convinced his new coach.
“He’s ready to play. He has unbelievable technique and a lot of passion,” Flick said.
The Portuguese full-back’s presence should add thrust and creativity from deep, crucial in a side that may rely on movement and overloads rather than a traditional target man in the box.
So Barcelona travel to Elche with their midfield jewel still in transit, their attack in transition, and their new full-back ready to go. Flick’s first competitive line-up will not yet be the finished product.
But with Rodri due on Monday and the search for a striker still active, this opening week could define how bold — or how exposed — Barcelona look in the months to come.
