Wojciech Szczesny has expressed his satisfaction in playing second fiddle to Inaki Pena while Barcelona “works well.”
The former Poland international retired from football at the age of 34 after Juventus informed him they would not be renewing his contract, leading to a mutual termination. However, following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season-ending injury against Villarreal in late September, Szczesny was quickly approached as a potential replacement and came out of retirement, signing a contract at the beginning of October.
Despite expectations that he would take over the starting role in Ter Stegen’s absence, Szczesny has yet to see any playing time, with Pena being favored by manager Hansi Flick in recent weeks.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
When discussing his lack of game time at Barcelona with Eleven Sports, the Polish goalkeeper acknowledged Flick’s decision, citing the team’s impressive form: “Inaki Pena has given him no reason to leave him on the bench. We have talked a lot. I’ve already told the coach that I’m 100%, but the team is working well. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
Barcelona has been one of the best teams in Europe during the 2024/25 season under Flick, sitting at the top of the La Liga standings with an impressive nine wins out of their first ten league matches. They also continued their strong performance in the UEFA Champions League, recently defeating Bayern Munich 4-1.
Flick’s side will look to maintain their winning streak this weekend as they prepare to face arch-rivals Real Madrid in El Clasico.