The La Masia GK has flick’s trust
Barça’s skipper and first keeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen faced a severe rupture in right leg back in September. The German international was the sole starter in almost all competitions for Barça. Also, not much was expected from Barça’s second keeper, Inaki Pena. Chances for securing the first spot looked even slimmer for Pena when Wojciech Szczesny, the Polish veteran was signed in October. But Hans-Dieter Flick had other ideas.
Flick Puts faith in the La Masia once again
Hansi Flick has been a big fan of the La Masia talent, and has given chances to many graduates. The German coach gave five Barça youth team players their debuts in his first ten games. With the injury of Ter Stegen and Szczesny’s arrival, Flick had a choice to make.
Flick chose Pena over the Polish veteran. Many people thought the reason for choosing Pena was due to Szczesny not being match fit. Szczesny also made a brilliant impression on the young keeper’s mind by telling he is not going to ‘compete’ with him. Inaki Pena was trusted with the confidence a second-choice keeper needs to rise into the first. And he responded well too.
Pena impresses everyone in his first month
Inaki Pena has impressed everyone with his brilliant displays. Both of Barça’s big clashes in October went well as Pena conceded once against Bayern and secured a clean sheet in clasico. This definitely reflected the trust shown in him by the coach and teammates. Pena has not let anyone down and is fully confident.
Although Pena has delivered in big games, he still has some areas to improve.
Pena’s keeping style: Areas to improve
Inaki Pena is quite quick in coming off his line. The Barça keeper has become more of a sweeper keeper, complementing the high line imposed by Flick. These aggressive runs are handy, but they sometimes backfire, as seen in the clash against Dortmund.
The La Masia graduate also needs to work on his shot stopping and positioning. The goals conceded against Las Palmas raised a few eyebrows on Pena’s positioning, especially the second goal.
Let’s hope things go well for the youngster and Barça dominates all competitions this season. Visca Barça!