Hansi Flick explains Wojciech Szczęsny & Iñaki Peña decision

Barcelona’s Hansi Flick has explained why he chose Wojciech Szczęsny over Iñaki Peña.

BARCELONA vs VALENCIA CF. January 26, 2025 Wojciech Szczesny 25 goalkeeper of FC Barcelona warms up before the match / IMAGO / Sergio Ros

Yesterday evening, Barcelona thrashed Valencia 7-1 in what was the Blaugrana’s most convincing win of the campaign. 

Hansi Flick made some surprising changes to the starting 11, most notably starting Wojciech Szczęsny, despite his disappointing performance against Benfica in the Champions League.

In his post-match press conference, cited by Mundo Deportivo, the German coach shed some light on the goalkeeping situation.

“I know that the situation is not easy for Iñaki but this is football. We make decisions thinking about the team and we had the feeling that we had to change. 

“With Szczesny, we always win. Both he and Iñaki are very good goalkeepers. Today we opted for Tek and it was the right choice. Sometimes it is a question of feeling. 

“It is our job to make the decision that we believe is best for the team, I don’t know what will happen in the future.”

Unfortunately for Peña, he is going to have to accept he is the sole reason why Flick has dropped him from the starting team.

The Spaniard was late for numerous training sessions, confirmed by the German manager, and his tardiness prior to the Athletic Bilbao semi-final was apparently the final straw. 

It is likely we will see the 25-year-old in between the sticks again, but for La Liga and European games, Szczęsny seemingly has Flick’s trust. 

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