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Daniel Panero
Viernes, 10 de enero 2025, 17:40
Hansi Flick has unexpectedly encountered a dilemma in the goalkeeping position. After repeatedly affirming that Iñaki Peña was his first-choice goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny has emerged to reignite a debate that seemed settled. The Polish goalkeeper made his debut in the Copa del Rey against Barbastro and seized the opportunity in the Super Cup semi-final against Athletic to demonstrate his high level and readiness to seize his last chance. His two clean sheets are his strongest argument for a classic where he could make a significant appearance.
"I am very happy with what we have done. We won 0-2, which is what we wanted, to keep a clean sheet. The team did very well, and that is the most important thing," Flick stated on Wednesday right after the match against Athletic. The German coach was pleased with his team's defensive performance and emphasized the clean sheet he had been seeking for some time. Indeed, Barça ended 2024 showing defensive issues and conceding more goals than they had at the start of the season.
Whether due to the weakness of the cup opponent or the poor version of Athletic, this trend has been halted, and Flick might choose to continue with the players he has used, including the one in goal. Szczesny has not looked out of place at all. The Polish goalkeeper had little to do against Barbastro, but in the Super Cup semi-final, he was tested a couple of times and showed he was fully engaged and in top form despite being 34 years old and having retired a few months ago.
The chance has come after months of patience. He arrived at Barcelona as a reliable alternative to Iñaki Peña, but Flick soon assigned him the role of substitute, and since then, he has worked in the shadows without making any waves, aside from his controversial statements about smoking. "I have been like this all my life. It's nobody's business if I smoke; it doesn't affect my performance," he said in October after his arrival.
Since then, he has worked like any other player and waited for an opportunity that came in the most unexpected way. Iñaki Peña arrived late to the pre-match activation session against Athletic, and Flick, strict in such cases, punished him with a place on the bench and gave Szczesny the starting role. This punishment could end this Sunday in the classic or continue if the German decides to solidify the change in goal.
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