Another of the many topics that Hansi Flick addressed in the press conference prior to the match between RCD Mallorca and Barcelona was the endless debate about who should be the starting goalkeeper for the Blaugrana, whether the homegrown Iñaki Peña or the experienced Wojciech Szczęsny. It is worth remembering that the Polish goalkeeper was signed by the Catalan side last October as a more than valid alternative to provide depth to the goalkeeper position.
However, to date, Szczęsny has not yet played minutes with Barcelona, which has sparked some debate about when he will have the opportunity to debut, especially considering that Iñaki Peña has had contrasting performances. Some of them have shown very high performance, but on other occasions, there have been doubts about whether he is up to the standard of a goalkeeper of Barça's caliber and the consistency expected of him.
Hansi Flick maintains his stance on who should guard the FC Barcelona goal
Now, regarding the goalkeeping situation, the German coach has stuck to his previous stance on the issue, reaffirming that there are no reasons for Szczęsny to replace Iñaki Peña. "He is doing very well, but there is currently no plan for him to debut. As I said, Iñaki is our starter," stated Hansi Flick.
With these statements, the Baden-Württemberg native once again backs Iñaki Peña, who is gradually emerging as a more solid candidate to be Barcelona's starting goalkeeper in the future, as a natural replacement for Marc-André ter Stegen. This decision seemingly rules out the option of Szczęsny taking the position, who had previously praised the performance of '13' by stating that "there is no reason to change the goalkeeper."
The German coach also spoke about the return of Marc Casadó
On another note, Hansi Flick also took the opportunity to talk about the golden return of one of his players who could not participate in the match against UD Las Palmas, Marc Casadó, who was absent due to his expulsion in the previous clash against Celta de Vigo (2-2).
The Heidelberg native highlighted the importance of the central midfielder from Sant Pere de Vilamajor in Barcelona's setup, praising his key attributes and his contribution to the team's functioning. "He has progressed a lot since the beginning of the season, he has also played for the national team. He reads games and opponents very well. He knows where he needs to be; he knows when he has made a mistake to move elsewhere. He is very good with positioning and the ball," he concluded.