In Spain, this topic is constantly on the top of portals. FC Barcelona faced Real Madrid in Sunday’s final of the Spanish Super Cup. Even though it was the Royals who scored first, the Pride of Catalonia later had control over the match. After 48 minutes, she was leading 5:1 and it seemed that nothing could threaten her.
The expert gives a verdict
But in the 54th minute a situation occurred that could have changed the fate of the match. Its main character was Wojciech Szczęsny. Kylian Mbappe received the pass and went one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Pole decided to go to the foreground. He stuck out his foot to stop the Frenchman passing him and tripped the Real player. After checking the situation on VAR, the referee could only give one verdict. Red card for the Pole.
– It was better to let Mbappe pass in this action, because with the score 5:1, playing with ten players can do more damage than losing one goal – criticizes the journalist of the Spanish “AS” Sergi de Juan. – Especially since there’s still a lot of time left. Moreover, the Madrid team successfully took the free kick, adds de Juan.
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Szczęsny stopped the action, but Rodrygo took the free kick from an advantageous position. The match ultimately ended with the score 5:2 for FC Barcelona, but this situation may have huge consequences for the Polish goalkeeper.
Szczęsny’s future already known?
After Szczęsny came out of retirement to sign for the Pride of Catalonia, he became only a substitute for Inaki Peni. This, in turn, became number one because Andreder ter Stegen suffered a serious injury.
And the Spaniard performed so well in goal that coach Hansi Flick did not give the Pole any chance to play for over three months. The 34-year-old made his debut only on January 4 in the King’s Cup match against UD Barbastro (4:0).
However, it seemed that the Pole’s shares in FC Barcelona were slowly growing. Flick unexpectedly played Szczęsny in the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup, in which our compatriot kept a clean sheet. The coach also decided to give him a chance in the final.
Barcelona did win the trophy, but Szczęsny did not contribute much to it in the final. Can a red card ruin his chances of playing regularly in the Spanish league?
– I don’t think Szczęsny is a regular player in La Liga. In addition, he will miss the King’s Cup match, which is the only competition in which he will play regularly. Inaki Pena looked good and doesn’t deserve to be just a substitute. Although it is worth noting the Pole’s very good performance in the Super Cup semi-final – says the journalist.
He also emphasizes that long-term investing in Wojciech Szczęsny is simply not profitable for Blaugrana. There is one simple reason for this.
– Although his form has improved, I think Szczęsny is not back to his highest level yet. Plus, Inaki Pena is simply better. Additionally, Szczęsny basically won’t play here next season and it would make no sense if he was given the role of the main goalkeeper. Pena has successfully replaced ter Stegen and deserves to continue in the starting eleven. He has Flick’s trust – concludes Sergi de Juan.
Arkadiusz Dudziak, journalist of WP SportoweFakty
