Hansi Flick gave an insight into his stance on Barcelona’s goalkeeping position ahead of the Blaugrana‘s UEFA Champions League clash with Atalanta on Wednesday.
Barça are set to finish in the top two of the revamped tournament’s league phase if they defeat their Italian visitors at Montjuïc, and Flick told reporters during his pre-match press conference that “it could be important for the next phases of the competition.”
The 59-year-old is a great admirer of Gian Piero Gasperini’s work at Atalanta, revealing that he thinks “what he has done in the last few years is incredible, and his style is unique in Europe. It’s 1v1 across the entire pitch and it’s not easy to play against that.”
But the conversation swiftly moved to Barça’s goalkeeping situation, which has been the topic of great debate in recent weeks after strong performances from Iñaki Peña.
The Blaugrana had signed experienced goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny to deputise for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen this season after the German goalkeeper suffered a torn patellar tendon – but it was Peña, a graduate of the famed La Masia academy, who managed to seemingly secure the starting shirt.
But since Szczęsny made his first start for the club in the Copa del Rey, he has quickly cemented himself as Flick’s preferred option despite coming under intense criticism from fans after a number of errors.
Flick told reporters on Tuesday: “It’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make […] and I know that when I say something good about Tek [Szczęsny], it might seem like I’m undermining Iñaki. I don’t like that.”
“My job is to make decisions. They’re both great goalkeepers, but we’re going with Szczęsny [for Atalanta] and that’s that. I always look at what’s best for the team and for now, I see it this way.”