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3 weeks ago
41 ARTICLE AD
While Barcelona have been seemingly flawless all season, one particular aspect that was given much slack by fans in recent weeks was the goalkeeping choice of Hansi Flick.
The arrival of Wojciech Szczesny, many felt, should have automatically disqualified Inaki Pena from the lineup as the Polish goalkeeper was a more renowned name in the world of football.
Flick, however, proved that he is a man of his word and retained faith in the La Masia starlet as he has with other academy products across the field. The result, needless to say, has fans shocked.
Pena steps up
Put to the ultimate test against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid over the past week, Inaki Pena stood out and shone bright, shutting the critics and making a strong case for himself to continue as the first-choice goalkeeper.
Inaki Pena is justifying his spot. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
As revealed by AS, he is now beginning to believe that he is justifying and giving back to all those who trusted him over the years to bring him to such a level.
Pena was always highly rated in the Catalan academy. He is seen as a goalkeeper for the long term, but limited opportunities and a lack of complete faith from previous managers saw him largely on the sidelines.
On the few occasions that he did get a chance, he dished out decent performances but not displays that staked claim for more regular action.
The management and Flick’s faith in him now appears to be paying dividends as the player is finally showing confidence on the field. In El Clasico particularly, he was one of Barcelona’s best players.
Playing at Santiago Bernabeu, he made four saves to deny big chances for Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham including two from inside the box. He prevented an xG of 0.49 and maintained a sensational clean sheet away from home.
Earlier this week, he recorded two saves and one from inside the box against Bayern Munich, conceding just one goal for all the pressure they piled on the Barcelona goal in the opening phase.
