Barcelona have been consistent with their good form under Hansi Flick, the Catalonia club are currently leading La Liga and are well placed in the Champions League.
However, the club has not been lucky with injuries. Since last season, top players such as Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong and Gavi have spent time on the sideline.
That has not changed this season with the likes of Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Marc Bernal, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen picking up injuries in different instances.
While other injuries were sorted within the squad, Ter Stegen’s injury saw the club bring in an emergency goalkeeper.
Barcelona proceeded to convince Polish veteran Wojciech Szczęsny to come out of retirement and sign for the club as a free agent. However, the ex-Juventus keeper is yet to make his debut with Hansi Flick putting his trust in the club’s backup keeper, Inaki Pena.
Wojciech Szczesny of FC Barcelona (Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Now, in an interview as quoted by Mundo Deportivo, sporting director Deco has discussed the reason behind signing the 34-year-old as an emergency acquisition following Ter Stegen’s injury. He said:
“Szczesny hasn’t played yet. His arrival was meant to bring balance and competitiveness. He’s well-liked in the locker room and has brought a positive spirit, which is important. We are happy with his contributions. The decision to play will always be the coach’s, but having competitiveness in the squad is crucial. We want Szczesny and Iñaki to compete for the starting spot and to work and respect each other.”
Szczesny has helped Pena improve his game on the pitch and it’s unclear he’ll be allowed to stay another season when Ter Stegen returns from his injury layoff.
