Barcelona’s captain, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, has returned from injury and given the medical green light to play. It is now up to Hansi Flick to decide whether he wants to return to his old keeper or continue with the in-form Wojciech Szczęsny. Barcelona face Inter Milan in a grand Champions League semi-final, and Flick has a decision to make.
The Champions League keeper
In the pre-match conference ahead of the game vs Inter Milan, Hansi Flick announced that Szczesny will remain the starting keeper in the Champions League. “Tek will play in the Champions League. We might make some rotations in La Liga, but that’s for another day.” In my opinion, this decision makes sense as Szczesny has been consistently performing in the Champions League this season. The performance vs Benfica in the round of 16 redeemed his mistakes in the league phase match. Since then, the Polish keeper has been showing up in big games when it matters the most. Szczesny is an excellent shot stopper, which may be one reason why Flick prefers him over Ter Stegen in the Champions League.
In the Champions League, you need your keeper to bail you out in certain matches when you’re not able to score much. Another reason is probably due to the confidence and personality of Szczesny. Moreover, the Polish keeper stays calm and composed in the most dire situations. The penalty save of Leo Messi, a statement to that.
The La Liga keeper
Barcelona are 4 points clear of their rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga table with only 5 games left. Barcelona is in excellent form in the league, and their rival Real Madrid is in bad form and suffering from injuries. Considering these circumstances, it might be a good idea to start Ter Stegen in the league. The German is still an elite keeper despite just coming back from injury and plays according to Barça’s style. He is good with his feet, which can help in building from the back and a lot of experience to lead his team to the finishing line of this title race. It can provide rest for Szczesny, who has back-to-back Champions League fixtures to play in six days.
This can be the perfect way for Hansi Flick to make rotations. It will ensure rest for the starting players and playing time for the bench players. Ter Stegen has been at Barcelona for a very long time now. He has been with the club through thick and thin, fighting for the crest when it was the hardest to do. Ter Stegen could have left us like Neymar for another, more stable club, but he stayed loyal to the club and fans. Now, after all those years of suffering and hard work, Barcelona are back to shining on the world’s biggest stages under Hansi Flick. The captain Ter Stegen surely deserves to finish the season on the pitch with the captain’s armband, celebrating the titles after contributing to them.