Sleep Is the Secret Weapon: How Flick's Sleep Specialist Could Redefine Barça's Season

New sleep specialist joins Barcelona's staff to optimize recovery

Hans Flick, Barcelona's coach, places a high premium on discipline and punctuality, aiming to keep players in peak condition for the team's benefit.

According to Mundo Deportivo, beyond close monitoring of training and match performance and nutrition, players eat breakfast at the training center. If they skip meals there, they may bring their lunch; some players even have personal chefs coordinating with the club's nutritionist.

The latest addition to the first-team staff, already including doctors and highly skilled physical trainers, is a sleep specialist.

Because rest is closely linked to on field performance, Barcelona this season hired a sleep physician to help players recover properly from training and games.

Players face travel fatigue and schedule changes, leading to mental strain, anxiety, and tiredness after each match. While experts recommend eight hours of sleep for optimal next-day performance, players are encouraged to sleep even longer.

To help them sleep while traveling and after, players receive guidelines such as establishing a daily routine, hygiene rules, avoiding screens for an hour before bed, and avoiding caffeine for up to ten hours before sleep, plus a suitable environment: a dark, cool, quiet bedroom with controllable temperature.

Bonus: if sleep were a transfer, Barcelona would sign it for the night shift only, leaving the rest of the season to dream squad.

Note to players: your snooze button has more fans than most apps; embrace the power of a proper nap.