Barcelona have so far completed two major transfers this summer window, bringing in Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United and Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund.
Both attackers belong to a perfect mould: pacy, excellent at making runs and able to offer a lot of intensity off the ball in the press.
Now, according to Alex Pintanel, Gordon has made an excellent early impression at Barcelona, with Hansi Flick and his coaching staff particularly pleased by the winger’s physical condition and adaptation.
Flick impressed by Gordon’s physical level
One aspect that has particularly caught the attention of the coaching staff is Gordon’s physical strength.
The England international arrived at Barcelona in very good condition and has quickly adapted to the intensity Flick demands from his players in training.
That should be especially encouraging for the German coach.
Flick’s football requires attackers to contribute without the ball, press aggressively and repeatedly make high-intensity runs.
Gordon’s athletic qualities were already among his biggest strengths before arriving, and his early work at Barça appears to have reinforced that assessment.
Adaptation going smoothly
Gordon has also settled well into the Barça dressing room and the working environment.
That is important for a player who has played in England all his career and needs to adapt to a team and league where the wide players are expected to behave slightly differently.
Barça will want Gordon’s directness and ability to attack space, but Flick will also need him to understand when to stay wide, combine inside and participate in the team’s positional game.
At Barça, it is all about passing, movement and rotation, and Flick has kept those principles intact while adding verticality in the last couple of seasons.
It is therefore refreshing that Gordon is learning these principles quickly.
Gordon offers Flick important versatility
There is another reason why Gordon could become particularly useful this season.
With Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both leaving, Barcelona currently lack an established senior No. 9 while they continue working on the signing of a striker.
Flick has already identified Gordon as one of the players capable of operating centrally if required.
His speed would provide a very different solution through the middle, particularly against opponents who leave space behind their defensive line.
Gordon also has a very good shot on him that is quite underrated, and there is a good chance he makes the striker position work for him this season.
Pre-season is generally a period where new signings slowly adapt to the system, but despite joining later, it feels like Gordon has already settled in well.
It helps that the 25-year-old had a great World Cup, where he chipped in with goals and assists for England throughout the knockout stages.
He is likely to make his unofficial Barça debut against FC Basel tonight, and fans will hope that he can mark the occasion with a goal.
More importantly, it will be interesting to see where Flick uses the Englishman tonight, and that should give us insight ahead of the new season.