Barcelona kicked off their 2025/26 pre-season with an unusually competitive fixture against Vissel Kobe.
It was the first chance for for Hansi Flick to see how well his instructions during training had been taken on board by the players, and the first chance for supporters to see the likes of Joan Garcia, Roony Bardghji and Marcus Rashford in action.
u200bLet’s take a look at three things that we spotted during the match.
Barca look intense and direct already
One has to place this game into context.
Yes, it was Barca’s first minutes of pre-season, but Vissel Kobe were slap bang in the middle of their league season, and are currently top of the league whilst chasing a three-peat of titles.