Ter Stegen shows leadership as Barcelona outcast stands apart during Hansi Flick’s team talk | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have enjoyed an excellent season under Hansi Flick, with the German coach bringing the best out of the squad at his disposal. Having already lifted the Spanish Super Cup in January, the team has the chance to lift their second trophy of the season this weekend.

Over the course of the campaign, Flick has had many difficult decisions to make, but none has been more difficult than the choice he had to make between Inaki Pena and Wojciech Szczesny on who to trust between the posts.

Pena had performed admirably in the first half of the campaign but was left out of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Bilbao after being late for an activation system. Since then, the Spaniard has hardly gotten a look in.

Szczesny, meanwhile, has grown from strength to strength and established himself as one of the best goalkeepers going around on current form. However, in recent weeks, there has been a new addition to the dynamic – the return of club captain Marc-Andre Ter Stegen from injury.

The German shot-stopper has recovered from the injury and is now ready to take the field, but Flick has a decision to make on whether he plans on replacing Szczesny, who has had such a good season so far. Amid all this confusion, an incident in yesterday’s training session has caught the attention.

As per Mundo Deportivo, Ter Stegen was seen showing his captaincy acumen by pulling a disinterested Inaki Pena into the team huddle to listen to Hansi Flick’s pep talk. The Spaniard looked lost and distracted, but the German was having none of it.

Pena might consider himself hard done by with the decision that Flick made, but while he still remains a Barcelona player, it’s his duty to continue training with the same passion and paying attention, whenever the gaffer gathers the group.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the Spaniard, but with both Ter Stegen and Szczesny in the ranks, it would be a huge surprise to see Pena stay beyond this season. He has showcased his quality in the opportunities given to him, and let’s wait and see how the Spaniard’s future plays out in the coming months.