Barcelona season preview 2024-25: Lamine Yamal all set to become the Blaugrana's MVP - but will Hansi Flick survive until Christmas?

The fans are fearful. Lever-pulling Laporta hasn't managed to make Barcelona's financial problems go away with his creative sponsorship deals and partnership agreements. Indeed, some financial experts believe that the current president is not doing much better than his predecessor to tackle the club's crippling debt, which is really saying something, given Josep Maria Bartomeu left the Blaugrana on the verge of bankruptcy when he finally stepped down in October 2020.

It's certainly concerning that just two days before Barca's Liga opener against Valencia, it's been claimed in the local press that five squad members remain unregistered, including the club's only two summer signings, Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.

Consequently, more sales are imperative if Laporta is to have any chance of balancing the books between now and the close of the transfer window.

After the bitter disappointment of failing to prise Nico Williams away from Athletic Club, the return of La Masia graduate Olmo was warmly received by the fans, particularly as he was one of Spain's key players during their thrilling Euro 2024 triumph.

However, the size of the fee (€55m) raised eyebrows. Olmo has never been renowned for his consistency or end product and while he is undeniably versatile, capable of playing out wide or as a No.10, he hardly fills a gaping void in Barca's starting line-up.

Of course, another forward may soon be sold, particularly as Victor has also signed on permanently to strengthen the attack after top-scoring for Barca Atletic last season, but the problem is that sporting director Deco is still struggling to clear the dead wood, including Clement Lenglet, who has returned from his loan spell at Aston Villa.

Barcelona did bank a combined €16m (£13.7m/$17.5m) from selling Julian Araujo and Marc Guiu, to Bournemouth and Chelsea, respectively, while Sergino Dest, Marcos Alonso and former captain Sergi Roberto have also all been removed from the salary bill.

However, while some supporters are still dreaming of reviving the Williams deal, it's wishful thinking at the minute. More exits are absolutely essential just to get Olmo on the field.

There's mounting talk that Frenkie de Jong could be sacrificed, with the Dutchman being once again linked with a reunion with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, while Barca are still trying to find new clubs for Ansu Fati and Vitor Roque, two young attackers that have been deemed surplus to requirements despite previously being touted as potential superstars.

After kicking-off the summer with a 1-0 win over Olot in Sant Joan Despi thanks to Pablo Torre, Barca enjoyed a morale-boosting tour of the United States.

Torre was on target again, along with Victor, in the 2-2 draw with English champions Manchester City, which ended with Barca triumphing 4-1 on penalties. An encouraging 2-1 win over Real Madrid followed, with Victor bagging both of his team's goals before a crowd of more than 82,000 fans at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Lewandowski then helped himself to a double of his own in the 2-2 draw with AC Milan, although on this occasion it was Barca's opponents who prevailed in the shootout, Kevin Zeroli converting the decisive spot-kick in a 4-3 success for the Rossoneri in Baltimore.

Given the encouraging nature of the Stateside results - and performances - it thus came as something of a surprise to see Barcelona convincingly beaten by Monaco in their final pre-season fixture. Flick's team conceded three second-half goals as the Blaugrana failed to lift the Joan Gamper Trophy for the first time since 2012, dampening enthusiasm ahead of Saturday's tricky trip to Mestalla.

Barcelona have long been associated with 4-3-3, but Flick's preferred formation is 4-2-3-1 and, based on what we've witnessed so far in pre-season, that's how they're likely to line up during the 2024-25 campaign.

Laporta has called for a stronger, fitter Barca, which is hardly surprising given how many injuries they suffered last season as well as their propensity to fade in the final stages of games, and the players will certainly need to be in peak physical condition if they're to implement Flick's famously intensive pressing game.

The German's teams usually enjoy the lion's share of possession, but the most striking aspect of his treble-winning Bayern Munich side was the way in which they played their way through teams with slick passes after winning the ball deep in opposition territory.

Barca certainly have plenty of high-energy, technically gifted players suited to this dynamic style of play, such as Gavi and Pedri, but it's worth remembering that both will miss the start of the season through injury, along with star centre-back Ronald Araujo.

There is also some doubt over whether Jules Kounde will flourish under Flick, given attacking is hardly the Frenchman's forte and full-backs are asked to provide plenty of width within the new coach's system.

Still, if Flick can get all of his best players on the field at the same time, Barca will be nothing if not exciting to watch, as his brand of football usually guarantees chances - at both ends of the field. New captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be a busy man, particularly in the opening few weeks of the new season.

A star was born in Germany during the summer, with Lamine Yamal helping Spain win Euro 2024 just a day after turning 17. Of course, everyone connected with Barcelona had already known for some time that they had a generational talent on their hands. Yamal had made his senior debut more than a year before - when he was still only 15.

However, his scintillating performances in the international arena have elevated the winger to a whole other level of fame, with his stunning strike in the semi-final win over France prompting comparisons with a teenage Pele all across the globe.

The pressure on Yamal to now replicate that kind of magic on a regular basis this season will be immense, meaning the onus is very much on Barca to manage their most exciting academy graduate since Lionel Messi as prudently as possible. Bojan Krkic never lived up to the hype, while Fati's fitness issues suggest he won't either.

Yamal, though, is even more gifted than those two previous prodigies. With the right guidance, he should shine even brighter this season than he did in Germany.

The 17-year-old Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, 20, could both feature regularly during the coming campaign after impressing in the U.S. this summer, raising hopes that one of them could develop into a long-term successor to Sergio Busquets. But the undoubted revelation of the pre-season tour wasVictor.

The striker came through the youth team ranks at Girona but enjoyed a prolific spell at Barcelona's B team last season that convinced the club to sign him for the senior squad. Encouragingly, the €3m signing is already looking like a bargain buy, thanks to his three goals in the games against City and Real Madrid, and there's been talk of him challenging veteran No.9 Lewandowski for a starting spot.

That seems a little fanciful right now - particularly as he's not even been registered yet - but the 22-year-old certainly has the makings of a good understudy, which is an immensely positive development given Barca are shot on quality centre-forwards, with Roque having thus far struggled terribly to justify his €30m (£26m/$33m) fee and being linked with a loan move away from Catalunya.

Given the volatile and fragile nature of the club, Flick will probably feel that just making it to the end of the season would be an achievement in itself. Remember, he has nothing like the same credit in the bank as his predecessor - and yet Laporta, the fans and the media turned on Xavi less than a year after winning La Liga. If the season starts badly, the new boss will quickly come under intense scrutiny.

So, to avoid an early dismissal, Flick will have to mount a valiant title challenge and, more importantly, lead Barca into the knockout stage of the Champions League, which is absolutely integral to the club maintaining a modicum of financial stability.

A Copa del Rey win would also be most welcome, but the bottom line really is all that counts for Laporta and Barca's accounting team. This season is about making as much money as possible from a decent European run.

Player of the Season: Lamine Yamal - With ongoing doubts over the fitness of Pedri and Gavi, the path is clear for Barca's teenage sensation to prove himself Barca's best player.

Biggest disappointment: Hansi Flick - Really only hired to succeed the horribly mistreated Xavi because he was a free agent, the coach sacked last year by Germany will be out of a job again by Christmas after an uninspiring first half of the season.

Best signing: Pau Victor - Only two new arrivals to choose from at the time of writing, making the former Girona man the obvious pick considering his price and pre-season form.

Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski - The Pole is quite clearly a fading force, but he will have quality creators around him and is the only proven goal-scorer at the club.

European fate: Last-16 exit - Just like last season, Barca will be exposed by the first decent, in-form team they come up against in continental competition.

League position: 3rd - The Catalans just don't have anywhere near enough quality to keep up with defending champions Real and are also likely to be overhauled by an ambitious Atletico Madrid, who are spending freely this summer.