Hansi Flick’s uncomfortable conversation with 25-year-old Barcelona player – Report | OneFootball

The goalkeeping situation at FC Barcelona has been full of twists and turns this season, and in recent days, the Spanish goalkeeper Iñaki Peña has seen a significant reversal of fortunes.

The La Masia graduate remained the starter for Hansi Flick for some months after Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury, but following the turn of the year, Wojciech Szczęsny has been getting significantly more time on the pitch and has already established himself as the starting goalkeeper.

In fact, Flick was quite clear in his press conference ahead of the game against Valencia that the Pole is the number one goalie for him.

In such a situation, SPORT reports that the relationship between Peña and the German coach is not the best at the moment, and there was also an uncomfortable conversation between them recently which left the goalkeeper with an even more bitter feeling.

Providing more details on this matter, the report claims that the goalkeeper wanted to know why the Barcelona coach has decided to bet on Szczęsny, and Flick has already made it clear that his door is always open if a player wants to communicate.

In this conversation, the German coach reminded the goalkeeper that him being late for a pre-match talk ahead of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club. The La Masia graduate admitted of his mistake, but Flick felt that he was not self-critical enough, and overlooked other similar situations that have occurred throughout the season.

Furthermore, the Barcelona coach urged Peña to accept the new reality of the team, where Szczęsny is the preferred starter over him. Naturally, the shot-stopper was left with a bitter taste following this conversation and understands that it would be very difficult for him to make his way back into the starting line-up.

However, things can change quickly in football, and Peña can regain his prominence as the weeks go by, especially if Szczęsny continues to make costly mistakes.