Szczesny vs Pena – Numbers settle the debate for Barcelona | OneFootball

Wojciech Szczesny’s performance against Atalanta mirrored his struggles in previous matches with Barcelona, including games against Barbastro, Athletic Club, Real Madrid, Benfica, and Valencia.

Like before, Szczesny could not do much to prevent Ederson’s goal that equalized the scoreline and could not be blamed for the 2-2 either.

However, it is quite clear that his performance left room for improvement, particularly in his hesitancy with the ball. Despite already having played six matches, Szczesny still seemed to be adjusting and struggling to find his rhythm.

A look at the statistics

Inaki Pena has a better save percentage than Szczesny. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Looking at his statistics, things do not get any better for the Polish goalkeeper. In the 20 shots he’s faced so far, eight have resulted in goals, giving him a save percentage of just 60%. This figure falls behind both Inaki Pena’s 62.69% and Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s 69.57%.

His history in Barcelona has been rocky as well. In his debut against Barbastro, he had no major work to do but left doubts regarding his decision-making in exits during the Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club.

In the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah against Real Madrid, Szczesny’s red card left the team exposed, but Barcelona managed to walk out 5-2 victorious.

Poor performances have followed

Szczesny has made several errors leading to the goal. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Then, there was the disastrous performance in Lisbon, where he collided with Alejandro Balde, resulting in Vangelis Pavlidis’ goal. He also conceded a penalty and failed to communicate effectively with Ronald Araujo, which led to an own goal.

Against Valencia, he was lucky when a penalty he conceded was saved by VAR. His best moment so far was a brilliant save from a cross-shot by Angel Di María during a chaotic 5-4 win in Lisbon.

Despite these issues, Hansi Flick has made it clear that Szczesny remains his first-choice goalkeeper, at least for now. The goalkeeper’s transition back to professional football has been anything but easy.

Time to change?

Szczesny is likely to keep his place against Alaves. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

After announcing his retirement in July, he spent three months without any football activity, making it tough for him to reach his desired level of performance.

Flick, however, has opted to keep him in the starting lineup, perhaps hoping that regular game time will help him regain his fitness.

There is no question that Szczesny has been a top goalkeeper in the past, having had successful spells at Arsenal and Juventus, and is a respected figure in the dressing room.

However, it is undeniable that he is not performing at the same level at Barcelona right now. The key question is whether this is just a matter of time before he recovers, or if he may never return to the level that made him one of Europe’s top goalkeepers.

For now, Flick has yet to celebrate a win with Szczesny in goal, but he has decided to stick with him for the upcoming match against Alaves.

Meanwhile, Pena continues to accept his role as a backup, likely hoping for a chance to step in during the upcoming Cup match on February 6.