“The coach’s confidence is everything for me" - Pundit praises Hansi Flick for turnaround in Barcelona star's form
Football pundit Roberto Jimenez has lavished praise on Barcelona manager Hansi Flick for helping Inaki Pena turn his fortunes around this season. The La Masia graduate's services became paramount after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a season-ending injury during Barcelona's 5-1 win against Villarreal in September.
Fans and critics heavily criticized Inaki Pena when he was asked to fill in for the injured Ter Stegen. However, the Spanish shot-stopper has shown his mettle and made crucial saves against top oppositions like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund.
In a discussion with Football Espana, former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez explained the impact of a manager's backing on a player's performance. The 38-year-old credited Hansi Flick for helping Pena improve his game compared to last season.
“The coach’s confidence is everything for me. I have performed much better when I have felt that confidence from the coach, and when I have felt that my coach is not convinced about my level, I’ve played much worse. It’s very important for Inaki Pena to feel that from Hansi Flick. And also from his teammates," he said. (via Football Espana)
"It’s not an easy situation to replace a player like Marc-Andre ter Stegen, at such a good club like Barcelona, with a lot of pressure on you,” he said.
About Pena's gradual adaptation as a regular starter, Jimenez said:
“I think he’s showing a lot of personality. He came in and he knew that there would be doubts about him. And game by game, people are getting used to seeing him in goal. The good news for you as a goalkeeper, is when nobody is talking about you. He’s doing well, game by game.”
Barcelona signed Wojciech Szczęsny as an immediate replacement for Marc-Andre ter Stegen after the German goalkeeper got injured. However, Inaki Pena has impressed so much as a starter that the Polish goalkeeper hasn't made a single appearance for the Catalan club.
In 18 games this season, Pena has conceded just 20 goals and kept six clean sheets for the Spanish giants.
Barcelona's new signing Wojciech Szczęsny opens up about not receiving game-time
Following Ter Stegen's knee injury, Barcelona convinced Wojciech Szczęsny to come out of retirement and sign a one-year contract with them. However, he has yet to make a single appearance in Blaugrana colors.
About his lack of game time in a recent interview with Eleven Sports (via Barca Universal), he said:
“You know, I don’t know [when my debut will happen]. I told you from the beginning that I needed to get back to full fitness first, and that was the most important thing. Now I feel, I would say, mentally and physically ready to play.”
“But I have no secret that if I was the coach of this club, I would play the same number of games that I have played so far. So it’s hard to be disappointed with this situation because I agree with it 100%.”
The Polish veteran also dismissed rumors of his family being unhappy in the Catalan capital, saying:
“You know, I don’t think there is any point in answering that. My family is very happy, and my family is the main reason why we decided to move to Barcelona."
Talking about the life of his wife and child, he said:
“Both my wife and my son were very excited to move here. We all as a family find ourselves very comfortable here. My son is very happy with his school, he has a lot of friends here, and so are we. We are generally very happy.”
Wojciech Szczęsny had an illustrious career before his retirement, playing for European giants like Juventus, Arsenal, AS Roma, and Brentford. The Pole played 548 club games in his career, conceding 559 goals and keeping 210 clean sheets.