Shaquille O'Neal calls out Victor Wembanyama for struggling against Alex Caruso originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.As one of the most dominant big men in NBA history, Shaquille O'Neal always wants players to use their size advantage. He loved doing that throughout his career, which led to four championships and three Finals MVPs to his name.Since San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has burst onto the scene as a 7'5" giant with guard skills, it has been hard to gauge for some people. Some want him to dominate the paint, but that could limit his versatility as a double-threat on offense in both the perimeter and the paint.Shaquille O'Neal admits he thought Victor Wembanyama could have done better against Alex CarusoIn the Western Conference Finals series between the Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wembanyama played against all kinds of defensive matchups. The most effective was Isaiah Hartenstein, who upped his physicality to go against the Spurs' giant.Another player who did well against Wembanyama was Alex Caruso. Since he is a smaller player, he had a lower center of gravity, so he was able to stand his ground more. However, this seemed to bother Wembanyama more because Caruso is not only strong, but he is one of the peskiest defenders to play against.MORE:Karl-Anthony Towns speaks about why Victor Wembanyama could not guard him in the NBA FinalsFor Shaq, that should not have been an issue because he believes that Victor should have overpowered the smaller defender. It is a fair judgement to make, but it is more nuanced than that, especially since Caruso has done well against Nikola Jokic as well."Put your elbow right in his little ass neck, spin off him and demand the damn ball... Elbow right in his little neck, spin off him and demand the damn ball... That right there had me hot, Im like, Come on bruh, they got Caruso on you,'" Shaq said on The Old Man and the Three with Cameron Johnson.Moving forward, Wembanyama should have a more diverse offensive skill set. Playing against Caruso should be a lesson learned for him, and that will be huge in the upcoming 2026-27 season when the Spurs are not seen as surprise breakout stars anymore.More NBA news:San Antonio Spurs fans left shocked with Victor Wembanyama's scary soccer slip-upChris Paul recalls why he was shocked when Victor Wembanyama took him to his academy in FranceThe Spurs receive a surprising placement in the latest starting lineup rankingsVictor Wembanyama receives kudos for what he did for the Spurs ahead of the 2026-27 seasonVictor Wembanyama speaks about the reason why he loved the NBA 2K27 cover process

Sunday Night Baseball heads to Los Angeles this weekend, with the Dodgers set to host the resurgent Boston Red Sox in an interleague clash at 7p ET on NBC and Peacock.Click here to sign up for Peacock!Fans can look forward to Bob Costas and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw (who will serve as the game's Inside the Pitch analyst)on the pregame show, with Jason Benetti handling play-by-play duties alongside 1988 World Series MVP Orel Hershiser and former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni.See below for how to watch Sunday night's action on NBC and Peacock. How to watch the Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles DodgersWhere: Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CaliforniaWhen: Sunday, August 2Time: 7p ET, with first pitch set for 7:20p ETTV Channel: NBCLive Stream: PeacockRed Sox vs. Dodgers preview Stats and records as of July 30The Red Sox head to Los Angeles amid a turnaround that few could have predicted months ago. Fueled by their historic 15-game winning streak and excellent pitching that ranks among baseball's best in team ERA (3.53, third), Boston has flipped the script on its season. The organization also shapes up as a buyer with Monday's trade deadline looming and is very much alive as a Wild Card contender. Veteran catcher Willson Contreras has served as the team's primary offensive threat, leading Boston's offense in several categories including home runs (22), average (.284) and runs (54). Elsewhere, first-time All-Star Ceddanne Rafaela has continued his breakout season to the tune of a .280 average and 13 stolen bases. Dave Roberts and the Dodgers sit comfortably atop the NL West as the calendar flips from July to August. Though Shohei Ohtani's health has required heightened management, the defending World Series champions into the new month and trade deadline with optimism.They're nearly 30 games above .500 despite stars Kyle Tucker (.237 BA, 9 HR) and Mookie Betts (.229 BA, .692 OPS) performing well under their standards, while steady backstop Will Smith has missed almost two months. Andy Pages has enjoyed a career year thus far, where he has blossomed into one of the team's most consistent offensive contributors. Once again, the Dodgers have relied on stellar pitching, which has produced MLB's fourth-best team ERA (3.59). What other MLB games are on Peacock this Sunday?Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Angels at 3:00 PM ET on NBCSN and Peacock.How to watch MLB on NBC and PeacockMLB Sunday Leadoff is a weekly Major League Baseball showcase featuring live Sunday daytime games. It highlights marquee matchups throughout the regular season and streams primarily on Peacock, with some games also airing across NBC Sports and NBC.MLB Sunday Night Baseball is a weekly primetime Major League Baseball showcase, featuring marquee matchups each Sunday night during the regular season. The games air on NBC and Peacock and anchor NBC Sports Sunday night programming lineup.NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.How to sign up for PeacockSign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. Youll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC and Bravo hits for whatever suits your mood.MLB on NBC 2026 scheduleClick here to see the full list of MLB games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.Why are some MLB games unavailable to stream on Peacock?Due to territorial blackout restrictions, select regular season, special event, and Postseason games may be unavailable on Peacock. Television territory blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether a game is televised in that Clubs home television territory. For more information, visit Peacocks Help Center.What devices does Peacock support?You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.Check out the latest MLB player news here!

The time for Seaside Beach to transform once again has arrived.For most of the year, Seaside is a place for tourists to get away. Its the closest coastal sandy respite for Portlands work-week weary. But once a year, Seaside becomes a bustling, bouncy playground, abuzz with those who want to see and be seen, echoing scenes of crowds at such famous spots as Venice Beach, Malibu Beach and all the famous Florida beaches.That moment is now.The Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament, billed as the largest in North America, is entering its 44th year, and, according to event organizer Sadie Mercer, the tournament shows no signs of slowing down.For five days, from Aug. 5 to Aug. 9, more than 3,000 volleyball teams, about 5,000 players and over 40,000 people are set to bounce over to the Oregon Coast for a week of fun in the sun. Seaside beach will be covered with 245 volleyball nets, plus all the accompanying accoutrements of such a wide-scale event. For instance, there will be enough refreshment stands to quench the thirsts of at least 10,000 tourists per day, plus a live DJ and more.Weve actually expanded this year, Mercer said. Last year we (only) had 239 nets . We also expanded to a fifth day and added in a couple new activities like the Glow Volley on Thursday and a free concert on Saturday.The Glow Volley is an event dreamed up by Mercer. She was inspired by the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition barnstorming baseball team famous for their zany antics and interacting with fans.The Glow Volley event is open for anyone under 18. There will be two groups: a 14U division and an 18U division. The pay-to-play is just $5 and participants will be broken up into randomly selected teams. Think of a glow-in-the-dark volleyball game on a moonlit beach accompanied by some cool techno beats. The event is slated to run from 8 to 10 p.m.The Glow Volley event will be completely dark, Mercer said. The nets and balls will be lit with LED lights and other glow accessories will be available. There will also be EDM music playing throughout the whole thing.With the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament in direct competition with Venice, Italys beach volleyball tournament for world supremacy, Mercer is hopeful the Glow Volley could put Seaside over the top to become the No. 1 beach volleyball tournament in the world.Weve been in competition with AeQuilbrium Beach Volleyball Tournament in Venice, Italy for a few years now, Mercer said. They have 300 nets, so we are still behind them there. However, they top out at 2,000 teams and we have 3,032 as of (Tuesday) with registration still open.People seemed really interested in the new event, said Mercer. When I posted about Glow Volley on social media it had over 170,000 impressions and there were people from all over the world asking about it.The Seaside volleyball tournament is open for all, but many of the competitors are from the West Coast. Players from Oregon, Washington and California regularly make the annual trip, but last year the Seaside community got a treat they werent expecting.Olympic Gold Medalist Phil Dalhausser came to Seaside and played in the open division. The 45-year-old Dalhausser and his partner, Brendan Onischenko, took home first place. The womens open division was won by Marine Kinn and Chloe Loreen. In total, there are 61 divisions.Theres 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U all the way up to adult and then Dino, which is a combined age of 80, Mercer said. We added in a triple division this year to go along with doubles and quads. Every player will be divided up by their skill set.Tournament provides networking with net workA big benefit of the Seaside tournament is the chance for young aspiring players to get noticed. Due to the volume of talent, many college teams and coaches make the journey to the North Coast and take this as an opportunity to scout out the crop of volleyball players.This is true for rising Astoria High School junior Kyah Gohr. The Astorian has shown next level talent during her first two years with the Fishermen and will use Seaside to continue taking advantage of the summer circuit. So far, Gohr and her beach teammate Katie White, of St. Marys Academy in Portland, have been on a tear. The pair have won all five tournaments theyve played outside of California and recently had a chance to play in the star-studded Hermosa Beach Nationals in Hermosa Beach, California. The pair finished 8-2 and won the Silver Bracket.This will be my second year playing at Seaside, Gohr said. Last year I actually played with a girl from Corban University in the AA division. Thats where I met the Corban coach, so I definitely will use this as a networking opportunity since its harder for me to get exposure in Astoria.After being a Seaside novice a year ago, Gohr is more confident she and her teammate will do well this year.Katie is the most chill loving girl I think Ive met, Gohr said. We compliment each other really well. I bring the fire and she brings a more calm, cool and collected mindset.Gohr said the two got connected through their traveling indoor team and have been playing together ever since. With Seaside being a home base for her, the incoming junior is confident the home court advantage will work in her favor.I dont think people realize how windy it is in Seaside, Gohr said. Because I train here, I feel like Im kind of ready for this aspect.Gohr and other local players wont be the only ones looking to make a name for themselves. Oregons Adam Ellis and his NPJ Volleyball club will be bringing more than 400 members to the beach.NPJ, or National Pacific Junior Volleyball, is a club Ellis started in 2009.What Im most proud of is that the club has helped any player who wants to make it to the next level get there, Ellis said. Ive been coming to Seaside since 2003 and my club has been coming here since 2009, Ellis said. The culture at Seaside is great, which makes for a fun experience. Bad Boys Open Volleyball, NWAS Volleyball and the Chamber of Commerce do a great job hosting the event and I want to give them a shout out.Where/when to watchThe expanded tournament is now five days spanning from Wednesday, Aug., 5 through Sunday, Aug. 9.Action will begin on the beach in Seaside at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, with pool play for the junior doubles and pool play for the parent/child doubles in the afternoon. If you dont want to spend every day at the beach, Saturday is the one recommended day to go. That is when center court will host the open division championship bracket.For more information plus the schedule, go to seasidebeachvolleyball.com.

Ole Miss was able to cement itself as a force on the recruiting trail under Lane Kiffin. Upon his departure to LSU, some wondered if the Rebels would be able to keep up with the Joneses moving forward.Pete Golding and the new staff in Oxford are doing just fine thus far. As of July 30, Ole Miss has the No. 15 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The haul features 22 total commits, 13 of whom are blue-chippers.The biggest feather in Goldings recruiting cap to date is how well he and the Rebels have done on the in-state trail. Three of the top-five recruits in Mississippi this cycle are currently set to head to Oxford.Louisville (Miss.) four-star Mitchell Turner and Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County four-star BenJarvius Shumaker form one of the best defensive line duos in the nation. They are both top-10 DL recruits and they are also the two highest-ranked commits in the class.Shumaker, of course, went viral in June after shutting down his recruitment one day before flipping to Colorado. He then rescinded that decision and flipped back to Ole Miss. Hes still in the mix coming out of OV season.Tupelo (Miss.) four-star offensive tackle Antonio Berry committed one day after Turner and Shumaker. Hes the No. 4 recruit in the Magnolia State and could be an instant-impact weapon in the trenches.Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School four-star quarterback Keegan Croucher has been committed to the Rebels since October and hes remained solid despite the departure of Kiffin. Its been a big offseason for the 6-foot-4.5 gunslinger and hes eyeing a monster senior campaign at his new high school.Ole Miss class also currently ranks 8th in the SEC, ahead of Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Missouri, Alabama and others. Below is what the haul looks like for Golding and Co. ahead of football season:Ole Miss Commitments by PositionQuarterbackFour-star Keegan Croucher, No. 122 NATL. (No. 10 QB)Three-star Crews Jenkins, No. 1,424 NATL. (No. 80 QB)Wide ReceiverFour-star Alvin Mosley, No. 162 NATL. (No. 25 WR)Four-star Miguel Whitley, No. 242 NATL. (No. 34 WR)Tight EndThree-star Colton Johnson, No. 590 NATL. (No. 32 TE)Offensive TackleFour-star Antonio Berry, No. 85 NATL. (No. 6 OT)Interior Offensive LinemanFour-star Antonio Keefer, No. 215 NATL. (No. 14 IOL)Three-star Ford Wade, No. 1,372 NATL. (No. 129 IOL)Defensive LinemanFour-star Mitchell Turner, No. 66 NATL. (No. 6 DL)Four-star BenJarvius Shumaker, No. 83 NATL. (No. 7 DL)Four-star Jamarkus Pittman, No. 341 NATL. (No. 39 DL)EDGEFour-star Keysan Taylor, No. 310 NATL. (No. 27 EDGE)Four-star Antwan Jackson, No. 316 NATL. (No. 28 EDGE)Three-star Marvin Nguetsop, No. 403 NATL. (No. 39 EDGE)Three-star Juelz Batiste, No. 446 NATL. (No. 42 EDGE)Three-star Elijah Cox, No. 602 NATL. (No. 56 EDGE)LinebackerFour-star Jeremiah Culpepper, No. 258 NATL. (No. 23 LB)Three-star David Parson, No. 538 NATL. (No. 43 LB)CornerbackFour-star Taelyn Mayo, No. 280 NATL. (No. 35 CB)Three-star Mason Moore, No. 1,112 NATL. (No. 117 CB)SafetyFour-star Darrell Mattison, No. 372 NATL. (No. 36 S)AthleteThree-star TraVon Hall, No. 694 NATL. (No. 23 ATH)

Earlier this week, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter became the highest-paid interior defensive lineman in NFL history.The full details are now out.Here's the breakdown, per a source with knowledge of the terms:1. Signing bonus: $22.5 million.2. 2026 base salary: $1.145 million, fully guaranteed.3. 2026 weight bonus: $250,000, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).4. 2027 option bonus: $14.94557 million, fully guaranteed.5. 2027 offseason workout bonus: $500,000, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).6. 2027 base salary: $1.26 million, fully guaranteed.7. 2027 weight bonus: $250,000, fully guaranteed (but must be earned).8. 2028 option bonus: $27.435 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.9. 2028 offseason workout bonus: $500,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.10. 2028 base salary: $1.305 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.11. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.12. 2028 weight bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027.13. 2029 option bonus: $33.39 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.14. 2029 offseason workout bonus: $500,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.15. 2029 base salary: $1.35 million, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.16. 2029 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.17. 2029 weight bonus: $250,000, guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2028.18. 2030 option bonus: $35.26 million.19. 2030 offseason workout bonus: $500,000.20. 2030 base salary: $1.48 million.21. 2030 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total.22. 2030 weight bonus: $250,000.23. 2031 option bonus: $35.215 million.24. 2031 offseason workout bonus: $500,000.25. 2031 base salary: $1.525 million.26. 2031 per-game roster bonus: $510,000 total.27. 2031 weight bonus: $250,000.The four-year extension has a base value of $152 million, for a new-money average of $38 million per year.The contract includes a $4 million escalator for 2030 and a $4 million escalator for 2031, pushing the total potential value to $160 million.With two remaining years and a payout of $30.85057 million, the total base value over six years is $182.85057 million. That's a per-year average from signing of $30.475 million.The structure makes the first two years $40.85057 million fully guaranteed. The timing of the 2028 an 2029 guarantees makes the first four years $106.85057 guaranteed as a practical matter.

Gio Ruggiero will be competing for a NASCAR Truck Series championship during the 2026 season. After the Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway, Ruggiero has clinched a spot in the Chase. With two races remaining in the regular season, the driver of the No. 17 truck sits fifth in the championship standings.Ruggiero is five points behind Christian Eckes for fourth in the standings, so there is a potential for a top-4 seed entering the Chase. It has been a tough summer for Ruggiero, who hasn't earned a top-5 finish since Charlotte Motor Speedway in late May.Despite the lack of results, Ruggiero will more than likely have a top-5 seed entering the Chase. With the standings being bunched up again, it will allow the TRICON Garage driver to make a hard push for the championship. For now, Ruggiero will hope to pass Eckes for fourth in the standings.Chandler Smith steadily improving with the Chase drawing near in 2026This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Gio Ruggiero clinches Chase spot in 2026 NASCAR Truck Series season

The San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday wrapped up their first set of training camp practices. When they take the practice field again Friday there'll be pads on, the reps will be live, and the rookies will get an opportunity to take another step in their hunt for playing time in their rookie seasons. Four 49ers rookies had notable performances in the non-padded portion of training camp. Pads coming on is the real turning point in the offseason, though. Physicality is king in football and the ability to thrive in the environment where hits are coming is the ultimate decider in a rookie's NFL fate. Here are the four 49ers rookies who stood out in the first part of camp, and what lies ahead when the reps are real:WR De'Zhaun StriblingStribling had the spotlight on him even before Ricky Pearsall had a knee injury crop up. The second-round pick was lauded for his size, strength and ease of movement. He's also gotten credit for his willingness to stick his nose in as a blocker. Now he'll have to maintain that physical mindset to continue pushing his way into a potential WR2 role that will be open as long as Pearsall is on the sidelines. DE Romello HeightCramps cost Height the end of one unpadded practice, but his early production in practice stood out to veteran defensive end Nick Bosa. Defensive linemen are some of the hardest players to evaluate when pads aren't on because offensive linemen aren't as physical with no pads on. Height will be a player we're watching closely starting Friday to see how he fares as an undersized pass rusher. If he stands out when the pads come on it'll be a significant reason for optimism on the third-round pick being a productive player in Year 1. RB Kaelon BlackThere was already going to be an opportunity for Black to sneak ahead of Jordan James on the running back depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey, but fractured ribs could cost James some time and open the door for Black to take the lead in one of the 49ers' most high-profile position battles. ESPN's Nick Wagoner on Wednesday noted that Black has been impressive without pads on. The pads coming on will be big for the third-round pick who could quickly make a name for himself if he continues standing out when the hits are real.OL Enrique CruzOne of the injuries that didn't receive a lot of attention happened early in training camp when Vederian Lowe went down with a high ankle sprain. That opened the door for Cruz, a fifth-round pick, to step into a larger role on the reserve groups. Onffensive line coach and acting head coach Chris Foerster gave Cruz some high praise very early in camp, which bodes well for the rookie's immediate future. "Yeah, Enrique's been a real plus," Foerster said. "Everybody in the building's pleased with him. People come up out of nowhere from all over the building and say, 'Gosh, that Enrique's doing a really nice job.' He's really professional, really working on it. He has a learning curve, like all the young guys do. He's got a long way to go, but he's done all the right things to this point."Offensive linemen are another group where pads can make or break a player's season, so we'll be keeping a close eye on Cruz to see if he can play his way into a reserve role on this year's O-line.More 49ers: Nick Bosa has blunt response to Joey Bosa potentially joining 49ersThis article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Stock up on 4 49ers draft picks after 1st set of camp practices

Isabelle Stadden continued her dream swimming season by becoming the second-fastest American in history in the 50m backstroke on Thursday.Stadden won the national title in 27.09 seconds in Irvine, California, surpassing eight-time Olympic medalist Regan Smith for No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list behind Katharine Berkoff, who owns the American record of 26.97.Back in May, Stadden became the second-fastest American in history in the 100m back behind the world record holder Smith and the third-fastest in the 200m back behind Smith and Missy Franklin.Stadden, 24, lowered her backstroke personal bests in 2026 by 55 hundredths in the 50m (from 2023), 1.44 seconds in the 100m (from 2021) and 2.91 seconds in the 200m (from 2021).SWIMMING NATIONALS:Results|Broadcast ScheduleStadden, a former Cal standout, took a few months off after last season and contemplated whether to keep swimming, She now trains as a pro at the University of Virginia.She has yet to make a U.S. team for a major international meet in a 50-meter pool (Olympics, World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships).The next opportunity comes in 2027 for the World Championships in Budapest. To make that team, she'll have to take a spot in the 50m or 100m from Berkoff or Smith or in the 200m from Smith or Claire Curzan, a medalist in that distance at the last two worlds.None of Berkoff, Smith and Curzan are racing at nationals this week. They're all preparing for Pan Pacs in two weeks, also in Irvine.The Toyota USA Swimming National Championships continue through Saturday, live on Peacock and NBCSN.Also Thursday, Ilya Kharun overtook Caeleb Dressel to win the men's 100m butterfly in 50.05, a personal best by two hundredths and the world's fastest time of 2026.Kharun, the Olympic 100m and 200m fly bronze medalist for Canada, was raised in Las Vegas and is in the process of switching his national representation to the U.S. later this year.Dressel's runner-up time of 50.45 was his fastest 100m fly since the 2024 Olympic Trials.Earlier this week, Dressel won the 100m freestyle on Tuesday his first top-level race victory since the 2024 Olympic Trials and his best time since the 2024 trials. He was second to Kharun in the 50m fly on Wednesday in his best time since the 2022 World Championships.Olympic silver medalist Katie Grimes took the women's 400m individual medley in 4:33.26, the fastest time by an American since Grimes swam 4:32.45 in April 2024.Grimes is expected to face Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Summer McIntosh of Canada at the Pan Pacific Championships in two weeks, also in Irvine. 06:52 Grimes cruises to 400m individual medley winKatie Grimes easily won the womens 400m individual medley at the USA Swimming National Championships, finishing in 4:33.26, more than four seconds ahead of second-place finisher Bella Sims.Ryan Erisman, a 19-year-old rising Cal sophomore, chopped 3.09 seconds off his personal best to win the men's 400m IM in 4:09.57. Erisman is now the fourth-fastest teenager in American history behind Michael Phelps, Chase Kalisz and Carson Foster. 06:24 Erisman scores personal best in 400m IM winRyan Erisman (4:09.57) crushed his personal best to win the mens 400m individual medley at the USA Swimming National Championships nearly by a full four seconds.Anna Moesch is the swimmer who went from chasing quarters to chasing recordsAnna Moesch overcame major injury and missing the national team to become the fastest 100m freestyler in U.S. history. Nick Zaccardi,

Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesHansi Flick has a big challenge ahead of himself at Barcelona.The goal is a La Liga three-peat, and to get there, he will have to build a new and improved version of Barcelona that takes his system to the next level. Real Madrid in particular is spending big to knock the reigning Spanish kings of their throne. Theyre hoping that the decisive signing of the summer will be Rodri, if they can make a deal with Manchester City.The midfield is Barcelonas bread and butter, and yet when you look at the squad, the question going into this season is whether it will continue to be an area of strength.Hansi Flick is not like his predecessors. This isnt a tiki taka, possess for the sake of it kind of team. Instead of trying to find the next Sergio Busquets, Flick has changed the tactics to make the Blaugrana a more direct team who instead of always playing from the back, prioritize winning the ball higher up the field and attacking from there.Pedri has since played in the a deeper role and excelled, usually alongside Frenkie de Jong if hes healthy. As of late, however, thats become a big if.The surprise of the summer when Flick arrived two years ago was the debut of Marc Bernal. It looked like the teenager was going to be the next breakout star at Barcelona before he went down with a shock ACL and meniscus tear just days into his career. In the end, he was sidelined for more than a year. Last season, Flick was very cautious with the minutes he gave him.For the past few years, Gavi has also struggled to make his way back to full fitness after suffering a severe ACL tear in 2023. Going into this season, though, Barcelonas warrior will be raring to go, determined to make up for lost time.Frenkie de Jong will be out for months. That means the job is there for Gavi or Marc Bernal to take.The two players have very different profiles, but both will be hoping this is their comeback year with a chance to prove to Hansi Flick that they are indispensable to his project. One thing that I find encouraging is the arrival of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. These are Flicks forwards, and they will set the example for how to press high with commitment and determination. If theyre successful, and the other forwards follow suit, the midfielders behind them will have a field day. There are concerns, rightfully, around the depth of the defensive line, and finding a new center forward to replace Robert Lewandowski. If there is one thing Flick has proven, however, its that that the collective is what matters most.Losing Frenkie before the season even starts is frustrating. Waiting for Barcelona to sign a new striker and defender isnt fun, and the longer the time passes, questions will be asked about how far the team can go without proper depth at every position.In the midfield, with Gavi and Marc Bernal at least, there are options. In the end, I wouldnt be surprised to see them sharing playing time.Flick will want more than a short term band aid. The manager wants, and deserves at this point, long term solutions he can count on. This is a golden opportunity for Gavi and Marc Bernal to shine.This season, they have the chance to play a leading role as Barcelona defend their title.Theres a lot on the line, and anyone who wants a place in Flicks starting eleven will have to hit the ground running and show how hard theyre willing to fight for it.