Following a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at home, Barcelona were scheduled to train normally on Wednesday at Ciutat Esportiva.
However, the training did not take place officially as Flick decided to cancel the session in order to give his team a breather.
This is reported by Mundo Deportivo, which suggests that Flick’s idea was to keep the team fresh ahead of the weekend encounter against Osasuna.
A reward for the Frankfurt win?
Flick’s decision to cancel the training session on Wednesday comes on the back of Barcelona’s hard-fought win over Frankfurt on Tuesday in the Champions League.
The Catalans showed excellent character against the German outfit, coming back from a goal down to secure a 2-1 victory.
Flick’s decision to hand his team a breather, therefore, can be partly attributed to the win, which was crucial in helping Barcelona sustain hopes of a top-eight finish.
Hansi Flick, Head Coach of FC Barcelona
Hansi Flick has one eye on the Osasuna game this weekend. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
However, it had more to do with Flick keeping an eye on Saturday’s La Liga clash against Osasuna – a must-win for Barcelona as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.
Moreover, the report adds that a few Barcelona players came to training voluntarily despite the day off.
The likes of Wojciech Szczesny, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado and Dani Olmo are some of the players who attended training on Wednesday.
It must be noted that Olmo is currently recovering from an injury and is one of Barcelona’s two injured players right now, along with Gavi.
Ronald Araujo, meanwhile, remains out indefinitely due to mental health problems.
Barcelona are expected to return to training on Thursday as they kick off their preparations for the Osasuna game this weekend.