Performance on the Rise!: Iñaki Peña Impresses with Barça

The 2024/25 season is becoming a defining one for Iñaki Peña. The Alicante native returned to the starting lineup after the serious injury suffered by Marc-André ter Stegen and, despite the signing of Wojciech Szczesny, has maintained his position through good performances in both La Liga and the Champions League. At this point last season, the '13' showed very different stats.

Indeed, Iñaki also had to cover for the experienced German goalkeeper in 2023/24, although the injury to the '1' in the previous season was much less severe. This season, the Spanish goalkeeper has conceded 20 goals in 17 matches as a starter, with 6 clean sheets. The numbers may not impress at first glance, but when compared to those from the previous season, the difference is staggering.

Peña conceded a total of 32 goals in the same number of matches last season, where he only kept his goal clean on three occasions. The Alicante native took charge of the Blaugrana goal from late November until the first week of February. After Ter Stegen's return, Barça had a slight resurgence, but ended up missing out on all titles by mid-April.

Iñaki Peña has responded to Hansi Flick's trust

In 2024/25, the '13' shows a much more confident image, although the culés continue to show signs of fragility at the back (27 goals conceded in 24 matches between La Liga and the Champions League). With a line always on the edge, the team exposes itself more than necessary to the vertical play and speed of its opponents.

Still, the Blaugrana team remains at the top of La Liga and second in the Champions League, largely thanks to Iñaki's timely interventions. In his last three matches, the goalkeeper averages at least a couple of saves for every 90 minutes, in addition to preventing around 0.45 of the opportunities generated by opponents.