Hansi Flick, the manager of Barcelona, has come to the defense of his goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny after a series of high-profile errors during their recent Champions League match against Benfica. When asked about Szczesny’s performance, Flick emphasized that mistakes are part of the game and that the team must share responsibility for both wins and losses.
“Every player makes mistakes, and we win and lose together as a team,” Flick stated, acknowledging Szczesny’s difficult first half, which included two significant blunders. However, the goalkeeper redeemed himself in the second half with crucial saves, including an impressive one-on-one stop against Angel Di Maria.
This wasn’t the first time Szczesny had faced criticism. He had previously received a red card in the Supercopa final against Real Madrid. Despite the criticism, Flick’s comments reflected his confidence in Szczesny, reinforcing the idea that the goalkeeper is supported by the whole team, which has shown resilience in recent matches.
In the same press conference, Flick also discussed Barcelona’s dramatic 5-4 victory over Benfica, in which they made a remarkable comeback after trailing 3-1 and 4-2. “I’ve never experienced a comeback like this,” Flick admitted. “The best thing was the mentality of the team. We were much better in the second half, and the substitutions also made a positive impact.”
Looking ahead, Flick expressed his satisfaction with the team’s second-half performance and their determination to win their upcoming match against Atalanta on January 29, despite already having qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League. “We want to win the game against Atalanta, and we’ll do our best to achieve that,” Flick concluded, underlining the importance of finishing strong in the group stage.
