Barcelona are building a new gym. Flick does not want another season ending on empty
FC Barcelona are building something again. Relax, this time it is not Spotify Camp Nou, so “the next few weeks” may actually mean the next few weeks.
According to Mundo Deportivo, a new gym is being constructed next to the Tito Vilanova training pitch at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. The work was visible during Saturday’s first-team session, part of which was opened to the media.
The facility is intended to allow the players to move easily between work on the pitch and individual exercises indoors. It will be used to develop strength, speed and flexibility, while also supporting injured players during their rehabilitation.
The structure is already close to completion. Most of the remaining work involves installing the machines and other training equipment inside. The first-team squad are expected to begin using the facility within the next few weeks.
Barcelona have not released an official statement about the project. The club have also not disclosed its cost or provided an exact opening date. For now, the confirmed part is what could be seen during training: the building is there, construction is progressing and, for once, it is more than an impressive digital rendering.
Mundo Deportivo have linked the investment to the importance Hansi Flick places on physical conditioning. Barcelona did not always look as fresh during the final stages of last season as they had earlier in the campaign. The club will hope that improved facilities can help the coaching staff manage workloads more effectively and avoid a similar decline.
That remains the newspaper’s interpretation rather than an official explanation from Barcelona. However, the decision to build a dedicated facility beside the first team’s main training pitch shows that physical preparation has become an important part of Flick’s project.
Barcelona have also added Benjamin Kugel to the coaching staff as a physical preparation specialist. The new gym should provide Kugel and the rest of the staff with more options for individual programmes, recovery sessions and the gradual reintegration of injured players.
It is a sensible move. A modern gym cannot fix the schedule, shorten long journeys or convince muscles to stop breaking down at the worst possible moment. It can, however, help Barcelona prepare more effectively for the part of the season when the promises stop and the decisive matches begin.
The facility should be ready within a few weeks. The fitness levels will hopefully last a little longer.
