Barcelona Score Five, but Flick Is Still Waiting for More: “we May Be Missing Something”

FC Barcelona defeated FC Basel 5–2, the new arrivals scored, the youngsters took their chances, and Hansi Flick still managed to send a fairly clear message to the club’s transfer department. The German admitted after the match that his squad may need another addition.

“We may still be missing something. We’ll see this week,” Flick said when asked about the possibility of further signings.

The coach did not mention a position or name any player. Anyone who wants to find Rodri or Julián Álvarez in that sentence will have to add the name themselves. Both players have been linked with Barcelona, but Flick’s words were not a confirmation of either move.

His comment came after a match in which Barcelona’s attack hardly looked short of options. Karim Adeyemi scored and provided an assist on his first start for the club. Hamza Abdelkarim also found the net, while Lamine Yamal marked his return after the World Cup by converting a penalty and registering an assist.

The closing stages belonged to Jesse Bisiwu. The young Belgian came off the bench and scored twice within a matter of minutes, first finding the top corner before converting Yamal’s pass in stoppage time. Anthony Gordon also made his Barcelona debut and played the opening 45 minutes.

Five goals make for a pleasant scoreline, but conceding twice and hearing Flick’s assessment should prevent anyone from declaring the squad complete just yet. The coach also stressed that his team is not yet in its best physical condition. Several players only recently returned following the World Cup, and Flick does not expect Barcelona to reach their optimum level until the end of September.

Barcelona have one more friendly to play. They will face Al-Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy on 19 August before beginning their La Liga campaign against Elche.

On the pitch, there was plenty to enjoy: five goals, encouraging performances from the new arrivals and youngsters pushing for a place in the senior squad. After the final whistle, however, Flick reminded everyone that the shopping list may not have been thrown away. At Barcelona, even a 5–2 victory can end with the conclusion that something is still missing.