Flick decides to bet on Barcelona veteran over academy graduate going against staff member’s advice | OneFootball

The goalkeeper debate at Barcelona was officially settled this Sunday: Hansi Flick chose Wojciech Szczesny over Inaki Pena in the La Liga match against Valencia, signalling a clear shift in philosophy under the posts.

Starting in 2025, it appeared that Flick had opted to use Pena in the league while the veteran Polish keeper had been used in other tournaments. But, on Sunday it was Szczesny who got the nod over the La Masia graduate.

Flick bets on Szczesny over Pena

Now, according to AS, the decision to go with Szczesny ahead of Pena was made by Flick himself.

In fact, goalkeeper coach Jose Ramón de la Fuente was more inclined to keep Pena as the La Liga starter. However, the German tactician opted to go ahead with Szczesny, who has won every game he has played.

Flick has made his decision on the goalkeeping situation. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Just minutes before the match, the Barça coach explained that one of the reasons he picked Szczesny was because he had “won” every game so far.

It is worth remembering that Szczesny made his debut in the Copa del Rey against Barbastro (0-4) in early 2025.

Then came the Spanish Super Cup, where Pena was originally going to start, but an incident – arriving late to training – kept him out of the semifinals against Athletic Club (0-2) and the final against Real Madrid (2-5), where Pena ended up playing after Szczesny’s red card.

In the Copa del Rey match vs. Betis (5-1), Pena took over due to Szczesny’s suspension, and he started once again vs. Getafe (1-1) in La Liga.

However, it was against Benfica in Lisbon (4-5) when Flick began to reveal his plans, opting once again for Szczesny. Despite two glaring mistakes that led to goals, he redeemed himself with a crucial save against Angel Di María in the dying moments.

But it wasn’t until this Sunday that the goalkeeper switch was made official, with Szczesny starting in La Liga ahead of Pena, with the veteran now seemingly the first-choice between the sticks.