Hansi Flick has confirmed his decision to stick with Wojciech Szczesny as Barcelona’s first-choice goalkeeper, and so far, it has paid off. The team remains unbeaten whenever the Polish keeper starts, and he recently secured a clean sheet against Alavés—their first in La Liga in over three months, with the last one recorded in El Clásico against Real Madrid.
Since then, Barcelona has managed just three clean sheets: one in the Champions League against Stade Brest, another in the Copa del Rey against Barbastro, and one in the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao. However, according to Spanish outlet El Nacional, a last-minute change occurred before that Super Cup match. Iñaki Peña had been expected to start as usual but was benched as punishment for arriving late to a team meeting—similar to a previous disciplinary action against Jules Koundé.
Initially, it seemed Peña’s demotion was temporary, but Flick has since opted to keep Szczesny in goal. Despite some costly errors, like conceding a penalty and four goals against Benfica, the coach remains firmly behind him, valuing his professionalism and experience. As a result, Peña has been relegated to the bench indefinitely.
Flick’s stance suggests that Peña’s role at Barcelona is now severely limited, with only emergency starts likely. With his contract running until 2026 but no clear path back to the starting lineup, Peña appears to be reconsidering his future. He has halted contract renewal discussions with club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco, and a move away from Camp Nou now seems like a real possibility.
