Marc Andre Ter Stegen is one of the most senior players in this FC Barcelona squad, and his absence due to his back problems is definitely a blow for Xavi Hernandez’s side.
However, the performances that Inaki Pena has put in in the last two matches against Porto and Atletico Madrid raise hopes in Barcelona that the Catalan team will not miss the German goalkeeper too much between the sticks.
These games have shown that Pena is ready to take advantage of an opportunity that no one could have expected to arise. He has several games coming ahead in which he will be starting for the Catalans and thus has an opportunity to show just what he has in the time till Ter Stegen makes his return from injury.
A report from SPORT has outlined the various aspects in which the youngster has polished his game, learning from as accomplished a mentor as Ter Stegen, and has identified one particular aspect in which he even surpasses the German.
The strongest aspect of his game is his ability to stop penalties. Pena has shown this strength ever since he arrived at the club as a child in 2012.
In his very first season at the Catalan club, he left everyone impressed as he saved six out of nine penalties in a penalty shootout against Atletico Madrid. He also went on to score the final goal to win the Kingdom of León International Tournament trophy for his side.
He repeated these heroics as he was promoted to Cadet B, and his performance in the MTV Hallen Cup stands out when he scored two goals saved a penalty, and converted one in the final match against Dinamo Zagreb.
Pena also did his job with Barca Atletic, as his penalty save took his side to the finals of the promotion play-offs under Garcia Pimienta. However, Barca Atletic lost to Sadabell in the final and could not get the promotion.
In the following season, he again saved four penalties in the semi-finals against UCAM Murcia, but Barca Atletic still lost out. However, his quality as a penalty stopper has now been firmly established, even though he was unable to save the only penalty he faced with Barcelona’s first team against Viktoria Plzen.
