Wojciech Szczesny names Barcelona player who has surprised him the most | OneFootball

Since his transfer to FC Barcelona was made official, Wojciech Szczesny has been making all the right noises to endear himself to the club’s fans. The Polish goalkeeper is working hard to make himself available to Hansi Flick.

The 34-year-old Pole has been doing a lot of talking since arriving at the club. Recently, he explained the rationale behind his decision to sign for Barcelona despite having retired, hinting that players are not brave enough if they say NO to the Catalan club.

Szczesny has now named the Barcelona teammate who has surprised him the most since his move to the club. As quoted by reliable Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Pole had special words for young defender Pau Cubarsi.

“Pau Cubarsí is the player who surprised me the most! I expected him to be a modern type of elegant defender on the ball, but softer. But when you see him live… he is actually not soft at all and makes very good decisions”

Szczesny is not the only one to have been surprised when seeing Cubarsi play for the first time. The 17-year-old center-back had a similar effect on all the fans when he was breaking through into the first team under Xavi Hernandez last season.

Cubarsi’s decision-making, both on and off the ball belies his age. The Spanish international is an incredible ball-playing defender who can break lines of pressure with the composure of a midfielder but that is not all.

Despite not being dominating in physical stature, Cubarsi’s positioning reminds one of Gerard Pique. Much like the Barcelona legend, the teenager is an excellent one-on-one defender and also holds his own in the air.

Cubarsi is crucial to the way Barcelona plays under Hansi Flick. He is often the outlet to thread through passes that bypass the midfield all the way to the attack. He perfectly complements Inigo Martinez, who excels in cross-field long passes.

Szczesny will be content knowing he can trust Cubarsi in front of him to sweep up most of the danger, thereby making his life easier. The 17-year-old has a huge future in the game and with time, let’s see how the Spaniard develops.