MADRID, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona advances towards the new season with everything looking good on the playing side, but with off-field issues once again threatening to capture the headlines as the club's massive debt continues to be a major problem.
Barcelona's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea made it clear that the club is still playing the effective high-press that rivals found so hard to deal with last season, while Lamine Yamal is a special talent to lead the club, and forms part of a fearsome attacking unit that also includes Pedri, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez.
Barca coach Hansi Flick had more good news with Gavi's performances in the tour, showing that the tigerish midfielder looks to be back to his aggressive all-action best after having missed most of last season with a knee injury.
Marc Bernal should also be available soon to give more midfield options, after his knee injury last season just as he was becoming established in the side.
On paper, Barcelona looks stronger than last season, with Gavi fit again and Marcus Rashford joining on a season's loan from Manchester United, while goalkeeper Joan Garcia arrives from local rivals Espanyol after impressing last season, but the new arrivals also highlight Barca's economic difficulties.
Rashford arrived after the club was initially linked with Luis Diaz, only for that interest to wither away due to his cost with the Colombian eventually joining Bayern Munich from Liverpool.
The club also seemed to be close to signing Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams for a second consecutive summer, only for Williams to sign a new deal with the Basque club as Barca failed to negotiate payment of his release clause in fractions, and was unable to guarantee registering him with La Liga.
It's no surprise then that Rashford has arrived, given that he was the cheapest option and was willing to take a risk on registration at Barca, having been frozen out at United.
The way things stand just 10 days from the start of the new season, La Liga's strict financial fair play rules mean Barca has still not been able to register Rashford or Garcia in the first-team squad, and until the club can find new income or significantly lower its wage bill, that is not going to change.
And it is not just Rashford and Garcia who have to wait - impressive defender Gerard Martin and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny have still to be registered after signing new contracts, and as things stand, they won't be able to start the season.
The club is now trying to pressure injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to sign a medical report that says he will be out for five months to free up a percentage of his wages, which should allow one or two players to be registered - but for the moment Ter Stegen is standing firm and insisting his injury isn't that serious.
The return to the Camp Nou Stadium is also proving to be a headache, with building work continuing and the ongoing work meaning the club is unable to return 'home' for its Joan Gamper pre-season friendly. 30,000 fans may be allowed into the ground for the La Liga match on September 14, but that is still way below its projected capacity of almost 100,000 and without the lucrative VIP areas operating.
With total debts of at least two billion Euros, Barca needs a full Camp Nou as soon as possible as the club's economic issues are clearly its main problem. On-field displays last season meant the problems were left in the background, and as long as Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha stay fit, Barca is once again the team to beat. ■
微信扫描下方的二维码阅读本文
