Deco discusses the reasoning behind Barcelona signing 34-year-old veteran after Ter Stegen’s injury | OneFootball

FC Barcelona, in the past few years, has not been lucky with injuries and this season has been no different. Even before the beginning of the season, players like Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong and Gavi were unavailable.

Since the beginning of the season, so many players like Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Marc Bernal, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen have picked up injuries in different instances. Among all these injuries, it was the one to the club captain that created the most worry.

Ter Stegen, after being stretchered off, had to undergo surgery and is set to be out for the foreseeable future. The German shot-stopper, despite his indifferent form, is Barcelona’s best option in between the posts and there were concerns about whether Inaki Pena would be able to fill his shoes.

Barcelona, on their part, proceeded to convince Polish veteran Wojciech Szczęsny to come out of retirement and sign for the club as a free agent. However, Hansi Flick has continued to trust Pena, with the ex-Juventus keeper yet to get his first minutes of the season as things stand.

Now, in an interview as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, sporting director Deco has discussed the reason behind signing the 34-year-old as an emergency acquisition following Ter Stegen’s injury. He said:

“Szczesny hasn’t played yet. His arrival was meant to bring balance and competitiveness. He’s well-liked in the locker room and has brought a positive spirit, which is important. We are happy with his contributions. The decision to play will always be the coach’s, but having competitiveness in the squad is crucial. We want Szczesny and Iñaki to compete for the starting spot and to work and respect each other.”

Szczesny is a true professional and would have known what he was getting into when he agreed to join Barcelona. If anything, he would be keen to help out the young Inaki Pena while ensuring that he is fit, training and ready to play for Hansi Flick should the need arise.

To his credit, Inaki Pena has been steadily improving with every passing game. Although he doesn’t do it convincingly, his natural tendency to play as a sweeper keeper and rush out to intercept balls that break over Barcelona’s high-line has helped the club immensely in recent weeks.

As long as Pena continues to show promising signs, there is no necessity for Flick to rotate his goalkeepers. Let’s wait and see how the dynamic progresses in the long season ahead and what happens when Marc-Andre Ter Stegen returns.