Scarves in the air. It was a special edition with the colors of Barça and Birmingham City to celebrate the visit of the blaugrana team. The Hey Jude by The Beatles playing over the loudspeakers and the nearly 30,000 fans present singing the anthem a cappella. In the box, Jude Bellingham smiled. He is still a hero there. The sold-out sign with 30,000 spectators filling the stands – they paid 40 euros per ticket – capped off the atmosphere at the charming St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, a stadium with a lot of history that will cease to be Birmingham City’s home in about four years. The English club plans to move to the new Birmingham City Powerhouse, a venue with a capacity for 62,000 spectators whose inauguration is scheduled for the 2030-2031 season. By then, that is at least the club’s goal, they hope to have regained their place in the Premier League.
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Raphinha, although he did not play a single minute because he has only been with the team for two days after joining the preseason stage, was the blaugrana player most applauded upon arrival at the stadium. Wojciech Szczesny also received a warm welcome, a familiar face in English football after playing five seasons with Arsenal and one more, on loan, at Brentford. Afterwards, they tried to distract him, but the Pole did not even flinch.
Flick’s surprise with the penalty shootout
As soon as the final whistle blew in the first friendly in Birmingham with the score at 2-2, Hansi Flick approached to congratulate the local coach, Chris Davies. It was then that the Birmingham coach told him that the match had to be decided by a penalty shootout because there was a trophy at stake. The German’s surprise was evident. Neither he nor much of the blaugrana players were aware that the friendly included a tiebreaker in case of a draw.
The reason was the Digbeth Loc Trophy, a tournament sponsored by Digbeth Loc Studios, a film and television complex owned by Steven Knight, a British writer and screenwriter, creator of the successful series Peaky Blinders. Knight is also part of Birmingham City’s shareholders, which is why the English club organized the trophy to mark Barcelona’s visit.
Marcus Sorg organized the penalty shootout
While Flick was surprised by what was happening, his assistant, Marcus Sorg, organized the penalty takers. Barça lost despite two saves by Yako. Álvaro Cortés and Gistau scored. Roony, Orian Goren, and Brian Fariñas missed.
Still, Hansi Flick appeared satisfied. Beyond the result, the German coach highlighted the feelings left by a team with many young players and several players in the process of adaptation. But there were also some critiques.
Both I and my coaching staff are happy. The feelings are good and the entire coaching staff is satisfied with the performance of the young players
“What I have seen is the same as what I am seeing in training. Perhaps in some situations we lacked more confidence with the ball and better play between the lines. It is something we missed in the first half and we also made some mistakes in ball distribution. But, in the end, both I and my coaching staff are happy. The feelings are good and the entire coaching staff is satisfied with the performance of the young players,” he assessed.
One of the standout names of the match was Hamza Abdelkarim. The Egyptian forward scored a brace and once again confirmed the excellent feelings he is leaving during preseason. Flick, however, wanted to especially highlight his attitude. “I think he is a very humble guy with a great character. He has an excellent mentality and gives his best every day. That is very important. He has a lot of potential. As a forward, you have to be in the right place when an opportunity appears in the area and he was there. These two goals will give him a lot of confidence for the coming weeks,” he explained.
The blaugrana coach also analyzed Karim Adeyemi’s debut. Although the German winger showed some flashes, Flick considers that he is still far from his best version. “With Karim, some things have not gone quite well. I think he has much more potential to show his qualities. It is also true that he has only been training with us for a week and that is completely normal. In training, I see a much better Karim. His speed and his ability to finish are two of his great virtues. He has a lot of potential and can contribute a lot to us,” he stated.
With Karim, some things have not gone quite well. I think he has much more potential to show his qualities. It is also true that he has only been training with us for a week”
Flick also took the opportunity during the press conference to send a clear message about Ferran Torres’ future. The coach made it clear that he counts on the Spanish international and hopes he continues at Barcelona. “I spoke with him during the World Cup, but now he is on vacation and I respect that rest. Obviously, he is one of our players and last season he showed in many matches how important he is for us. That is exactly what we want,” he said.
Ferran is one of our players and last season he showed in many matches how important he is for us”
Finally, the coach had words of recognition for Marcus Rashford, now no longer linked to the club, and welcomed Anthony Gordon, one of the big signings of the summer. “It has been a pleasure to work with Rashford. He is a fantastic player and an extraordinary person. Both the team and I will miss him, but that is football. Now Anthony Gordon arrives. From the first call I had with him, it was clear that he was totally excited about Barcelona, he really wanted to come. I am very happy that he is part of our team,” he concluded.
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There was a shirt exchange. For example, Carlos Vicente, a former Alavés player now at Birmingham, exchanged his shirt with Álvaro Cortés. By the way, the creativity of the match with which Birmingham City announced the visit of Barcelona was not the most successful. The English club announced Barcelona’s visit with an image featuring Marc-André ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong, and Karim Adeyemi. However, when match time came, only Adeyemi stepped onto the pitch. Ter Stegen had left England just a few hours earlier to head to Amsterdam and Frenkie de Jong is injured in the knee.
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