According to Sport, Flick will bring in German fitness coach Jan-Benjamin Kugel, with whom he worked on the German national team in 2014.

Kugel is reportedly one of the most respected fitness coaches in German football. He specializes in sports science, elite athletic performance, and injury prevention. His career has focused on improving players' physical condition through technological applications, personalized load management, and methods tailored to the demands of modern football.

He gained recognition during his nearly 10 years working for the German Football Association, where he served with the national team. There, he worked with Flick during one of the most successful periods in German football history, serving as a member of Löw's coaching staff and winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Kugel and Flick's relationship extends beyond that World Cup. Following the victory, Flick became the DFB's sporting director, and Kugel continued to work closely with him in the performance and innovation department. They built a strong professional relationship based on trust and a shared understanding of fitness preparation at the highest level of football.

Kugel also has extensive experience at club level. He was responsible for fitness training at teams such as Bremen and Cologne, focusing on load planning, player recovery, and injury prevention to meet the high demands of domestic and international competitions. He later joined the Israeli national team's coaching staff alongside Andreas Herzog and Willi Ruttensteiner.

His work philosophy aligns perfectly with Flick's footballing ideas. His methods are designed to help teams maintain high-intensity pressing for 90 minutes while minimizing the risk of muscle injuries through individualized plans and continuous analysis of physical data.

In addition to his scientific background, those who have worked with him highlight his ability to adapt fitness preparation to the needs of each player and the tactical requirements of the coach. This is precisely why he and Flick have maintained a close professional relationship for over a decade.

Jan-Benjamin Kugel maintains a low profile, stays out of the media spotlight, and has a strong reputation in German football. He prioritizes on-field work over public exposure and is one of the most recognized figures in elite fitness preparation.

Another important initiative is the realignment of fitness planning. Barcelona has pushed for the establishment of a new department called "Athletic Performance and Sports Optimization," led by Julio Tous. Tous, who was primarily responsible for the first team's physical conditioning last season, will seek to apply relevant methods across various teams within the club to improve overall performance.

Flick hopes to improve the physical performance of this squad, as his playing style relies heavily on pressing and tracking back, which demands extremely high levels of fitness. This season, with the new departmental restructuring led by Tous and the changes in daily execution following Kugel's arrival, Barcelona should be able to address the team's shortcomings in key matches, especially in the Champions League.

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