Barcelona wrapped up their preseason with a 2-1 win over Egyptian champions Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy, the club's traditional curtain-raiser named after its founder. Raphinha captained the side, scored, and generally led the way on a night that told the home crowd how the champions are shaping up as La Liga begins this weekend.

The result was fine. The more useful takeaway for coaches was the honesty in what came out of it. Manager Hansi Flick had already warned that this Barcelona would arrive at the season running at several different speeds, and the Gamper confirmed it. Some players looked in full flow after a long, thorough preseason. Others, the ones who came back later, were visibly short of sharpness in the legs and touch in the feet.

That gap inside one squad is one of the most common problems in the game, and it does not only happen at Barcelona. It happens to you every fall when some players show up fit from a summer of club soccer and others roll in cold after two months off. The champions are dealing with the exact same issue, just with more famous names.

Why a squad runs at different speeds

Fitness and rhythm are not switches you flip. A player who has trained through a full block is timing his runs, taking his first touch in stride, and pressing on cue. A player who joined late is a beat behind on all three, and the gap is most obvious in the moments that decide games: the sprint to close a passing lane, the touch that beats the first defender, the recovery run after losing the ball.

The mistake is to treat everyone the same in August. Throwing your unfit players straight into full ninety-minute loads invites soft-tissue injuries and sloppy habits, while holding your fit players back to match them wastes the work they already banked. Flick's approach, and the sensible one, is to manage minutes individually while the group converges.

What to do with your own two-speed roster

Plan your first few weeks around bringing everyone to the same level without breaking the ones who are behind. Give your late arrivals a graded return: more rest between high-intensity reps, shorter bursts, and clear standards they have to hit before they play big minutes. Let your fit players carry the load in games early while the rest catch up in training.

Be honest with the group about it, the way Flick was. Players accept unequal minutes far better when they understand the reason and the timeline. Tell your late returners exactly what they need to show to earn their spot back, and tell your fit starters that their early workload is temporary. Silence breeds resentment; a clear plan builds buy-in.

One more thing the Gamper showed: leadership can come from the players who are ready. Raphinha wearing the armband and driving the performance is a reminder that in the early weeks, you lean on whoever is sharpest, not just whoever is most senior. If your fittest, most switched-on player is a sophomore, let him set the tempo while the veterans find their legs.

Barcelona will be judged on trophies, not on a summer friendly. But the picture from the Gamper, a champion arriving in pieces and having to assemble itself on the run, is the exact challenge waiting for you at your first preseason session.