Hansi Flick was a happy man after Barcelona's thumping win over Basel. The German praised his side's display, pointing to clear progress on their three-way outing against Udinese, but warned there is still work to do before La Liga kicks off.
Speaking to Barcelona's club media, Flick called the Basel game a good test and revealed his staff have already turned their attention to the league opener against Elche.
Getting the team to peak fitness is no small job, he admitted, especially with several players only joining training late. Even after the coming international break, he does not expect Barcelona to be at full strength.
The tempo fell short of what he wanted against Basel, despite the scoreline, and Flick said: "It was a good test for us. They performed well, but we did not play with the pace we wanted. We have to improve, and we have the necessary capabilities."
Friday's friendly was the first time most of the available squad started together, and Barcelona ran out 5-0 winners in a valuable workout for the new season, with several new arrivals catching the eye.
Flick refused to rule out more transfer business in the coming days, hinting the squad might still need reinforcing. "Perhaps we have missed something. We will see this week," he said, without naming positions or targets.
Work on the training ground matters most to him right now. The head coach urged his players to hold the standards they set last season, insisting the focus must fall on hard graft and steady improvement.
One final test remains, against Al Ahli on Wednesday in the Joan Gamper Trophy. After that, Barcelona close the book on pre-season and start preparing for the Elche opener.
Returning to play in front of the Camp Nou faithful delights Flick, who stressed how much the fans' backing means and called on his squad to keep pushing to recapture last season's level.
He signed off by explaining that his staff will use that final friendly to study the team's condition in greater depth. The intensity and quality of training, though, will be the key to hitting the required sharpness before the official kick-off.