Barcelona manager Hansi Flick makes strange dental request for medical tests

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is not from the same stock as many of his recent predecessors, with no previous experience in Spanish football or at Barcelona. It means there may be a process of adaptation, but equally Flick will bring new and different methods.

According to Diario AS, for the first time, Flick asked dental tests to be carried out on the players during their medical tests on Wednesday. Normally they consist of foot, cardiology, blood and urine, and general body measurement tests, but Flick has added dental health to the set of examinations.

The reason being is that he and his team believe dental health can have a major impact on player health. The British Journal of Sports Medicine say that nearly four in five British footballers suffer from gum inflammation which can cause pain, and misalignment of teeth. That can cause poor digestion due to the inability to chew effectively, which in turn affects muscles and nutrient retention.

The same outlet note that in the past NBA star Pau Gasol was required to undergo treatment to fix his teeth by the LA Lakers, while AC Milan decided against signing left-back Aly Cissokho as a result of a serious misalignment, which they felt could affect his health.

Currently Flick has just nine first-team players available due to holidays, international duty and injury, and has filled out the squad with youngsters and Barca Atletic players. His first training session was due to be after the medical tests, but was cancelled due to the heat.

Stories like these can sometimes take on something of a trope-like nature, as whatever Flick did differently was likely to be held up as an example of his new methods. However certainly it fits into the attention to detail over player fitness and health that Barcelona have been keen to improve on.