Despite being one of the most stable positions in the FC Barcelona squad for the last few years, the goalkeeper position has been subject to a high degree of uncertainty this season.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen was the starting goalkeeper at the start of this season, but his torn patellar tendon means he will not be able to play for the Blaugranes again till next season.
Following his injury, the Catalans decided to sign Wojciech Szczesny, who had already retired at the end of the last season, as they wanted another experienced option in the squad to deputize for Ter Stegen’s deputy, Inaki Pena.
The La Masia graduate kept his starting position for months after Szczesny’s arrival, and the Pole was able to play in the Blaugrana jersey for the first time only at the start of this year, in the Copa del Rey match against Barbastro.
However, from that time on, his fortunes have taken a considerable turn, and he has been the more regular starter for Flick in the last few games. Still, he has also made several errors, which is leading to criticism and a lot of speculation about who will be the starting goalkeeper for Barcelona going forward.
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, Hansi Flick put this speculation to bed for the time being, as he revealed his selection of Szczesny as the starting goalkeeper ahead of Inaki Pena for the upcoming game against Atalanta.
But the German tactician also revealed that this was not really an easy decision for him to make: “It’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make… It always is; it’s difficult. The goalkeeper is very special.”
Despite his selection of Szczesny, Flick also highlighted the good performances put in by Pena:
“I know that when I say something good about Tek, it might seem like I’m undermining Iñaki. I don’t like that. My decision is to choose the goalkeeper. Both are very good goalkeepers, great ones. We’ve decided on Tek for tomorrow. I always look for what’s best for the team, and for now, I see it this way, although Iñaki has done very well.”
Thus, Barcelona fans should expect to see Szczesny covering their goal for the upcoming match. But keeping in view the trend from the last few games, it looks likely that he will remain the starter even beyond this match.
