Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has clearly been impressed with what he has seen so far from his side in preseason, with their latest performance against AC Milan prompting an unexpected reward for his players.
The new Barca coach had plenty of reason for cheer following a 2-2 draw with Milan in Baltimore as the Spanish giants ended their US tour with a come-from-behind draw, before losing a penalty shootout.
Despite falling behind to two early goals from Luka Jovic and USMNT star Christian Pulisic, Barca grew into the game and Robert Lewandowski scored twice, either side of half time, to level things.
That sent the match to a shootout, where misses from Jules Kounde, Quim Junyent and Mikayil Faye cost Barca the victory, but Flick was nevertheless upbeat.
So much so, in fact, that he has decided to reward his players with extra time off from training.
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Flick's unexpected reward for Barca players after US preseason tour
Spanish daily newspaper AS reports that Flick has given his players three days off to recover following the end of the US tour, so that they can spend time with their family and friends.
Journalist Javier Miguel has suggested that the German has relaxed his usually strict training regime after being impressed with his players' exploits in the United States, and that they will not be expected back at the club's Joan Gamper base until Saturday.
Victories over Manchester City and arch-rivals Real Madrid may have fueled that more laid-back approach from Flick, with Barca winning 4-1 on penalty kicks against the Premier League champions in Orlando, before a 2-1 win over Los Blancos in New York.
