‘A lot has changed for me’ – Barcelona manager Hansi Flick on goalkeeping battle – Football España

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has changed his tune on his goalkeeping battle in Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s absence, with the door opened to Wojciech Szczesny wrestling away the number one spot from Inaki Pena.

As the Blaugrana prepare to face Real Betis in the Copa del Rey, Ronald Araujo was one of the main topics, as was the future of Ansu Fati. However Flick has not thought about his own future much, he revealed when asked if he would accept a contract extension now.

“I haven’t thought about it. In football things move very quickly and can change a lot. At the end of the season we will see. I like working here at Barca and with this team. I have a contract of one and a half years and it is a lot for a coach.”

Flick started Szczesny for the last three games in a row against Barbastro, Athletic Club and Real Madrid in the Copa and Supercup. He was asked whether anything had changed with regard to his selections in goal.

“I think that for me it has changed a lot. We have seen Tek [Szczesny] perform very well, it is something nice to see. After the break he returned and has given everything in training. He has an incredible mentality and helps everyone a lot, also the goalkeepers. He can play at this level. I can talk about Inaki too, who was under pressure, he conceded a goal on the first shot, but he was very solid and recovered well. So that speaks to his mental strength.”

Following his impressive performance in the Spanish Super Cup, Alejandro Balde is making a strong case for a return to the Spain national team. @xavierbosch

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 14, 2025

The German coach could simply be boosting the confidence of Szczesny after his red card, or trying to heighten the competition between the two. What is beyond doubt is that his line has shifted from 2024, when he had previously continually noted that Pena was number one until he made a mistake.