Barcelona Champions League ambitions have hit an unexpected snag due to UEFA regulations, leaving manager Hansi Flick with a tough decision.
Manager Hansi Flick faces a crucial decision of cutting one goalkeeper now that club captain Marc-André ter Stegen has recovered after being injured for the last six months.
Ter Stegen ruptured his patellar tendon back in September and had been replaced by Szczęsny, who came out of retirement and signed a deal with Barcelona for one year of action.
Barcelona will be faced with the difficult decision of de-registering emergency signing Wojciech Szczęsny from playing in Europe to have Ter Stegen active, as reported by The Mirror.
Initially, Szczęsny was to be the backup to Iñaki Peña, but as Flick’s first-choice keeper, Szczęsny enjoyed a run of 22 consecutive games with no losses and played a large part in Barcelona’s run to the semifinals of the Champions League.
However, UEFA rules state that once the original goalkeeper (Ter Stegen) is fit to play, the replacement (Szczęsny) must be removed from the European squad.
Flick indicated Ter Stegen is primed, but did not reveal who will be the starting keeper against Inter Milan.
“He’s ready,” Flick noted. “I will talk with him when he returns.” Szczęsny, for his part, is taking things in stride and said he would accept the decision either way.
“Marc has won the Champions League. I have not. I respect him,” Szczęsny added.
The situation is complicated since Barcelona is competing on three fronts.
They face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final this weekend, followed by a double-header against Inter and a potential title-deciding Clásico in La Liga.
To make matters worse, an injury to Robert Lewandowski will make the forward unavailable for three weeks.
Flick now has to balance loyalty to Szczęsny’s accomplishments against the experience and leadership of Ter Stegen.
With UEFA’s stringent squad regulations leaving little grey area between those two players, Barcelona’s decision at the goalkeeper position could end up defining their year.
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