Flick speaks on and off the field: Marc Casadó, a starter against Levante

Hansi Flick has demonstrated time and again, since his arrival on the bench of FC Barcelona, to be a coach of character and very clear ideas. In the press conference prior to the match against Levante, the coach stopped the rumors about the possible departure of Marc Casadó in the final stretch of the summer market.

Well, the coach ratified his position by returning the '17' to his lineup at the Ciutat de Valencia. With Frenkie de Jong out of the squad due to the birth of his son, the player from Sant Pere de Vilamajor was chosen to accompany Pedri González as a defensive pivot.

Gavi, who had a very good preseason (scoring 3 goals on the Asian tour), was aiming to replace the Dutchman, but Flick speaks clearly on and off the field. 

Flick returns Casadó to his XI in a complicated place

If there are rumors about the little prominence that Casadó will have in the 25/26 season and his possible departure via transfer, the coach does not hesitate to return him to the XI in an away game marked on the calendar as 'risky'. Although the Granota team has just returned to the First Division after three years in the Spanish silver category, it is still a rival to be careful and respectful of.

Not surprisingly, the Valencians took the lead in the 15th minute with a remarkable finish by Iván Romero. Alejandro Balde was very close to scoring a couple of minutes before, but it was the locals, after a lethal counterattack, who were in charge of breaking the deadlock.

Marc, always organized in the build-up, could do little to prevent the first goal conceded by Barça in the 25/26 season. The counterattack was gestated after a loss by Lamine Yamal and a quick transition that left the Azulgrana defense badly positioned. Romero dribbled past Joan García and finished at will.