The "big difference" between this preseason and those in previous years for Barcelona is that the club has "avoided an overseas tour that would be economically profitable but hardly advisable from a football standpoint, especially during a summer featuring a World Cup," according to Javier Gascón of MUNDO DEPORTIVO. Barcelona, however, "cannot reject a source of revenue like a preseason tour every year." The club has decided that next summer, "with more time for vacation for its players," it will make a preseason tour. Starting in November or December, Barcelona "will consider the various offers and possibilities, but the club is likely to tour Asia or the U.S., the zones where the Barça brand is most profitable in promotional activities and where the brand could have a bigger impact in the future" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 8/11). In Barcelona, Gascón wrote some Barça players "are wearing a GPS device featuring a tracking technology to help the coaching staff analyze different aspects of how players perform in both practices and games." The devices "reveal, among other things, not only the distances players cover, but also show average speed, when intensity begins to drop and whether someone is performing above or below his typical level" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 8/11).
