Hansi Flick reveals why Barcelona will delay handing debut to new signing Wojciech Szczesny after he came out of retirement to replace injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Barcelona’s new goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will not make his debut against Alaves in LaLiga and will not be available for selection until after the international break, manager Hansi Flick said on Saturday.
Flick’s team travels to Alaves on Sunday, after Tuesday’s 5-0 home win over Swiss side Young Boys in the Champions League.
Barcelona signed Szczesny as a free agent on Wednesday after the Polish goalkeeper reversed his decision to retire and came to the team’s rescue after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season-ending injury.
Barcelona are top of the LaLiga standings with 21 points from eight games, while Alaves are eleventh with ten points.
‘Szczesny is in good form and with his experience, character and quality I think he is the very best option for the club. It is very good to have him, he will help us a lot, but he is not on our side against Alaves,ā Flick told reporters on Saturday.
Wojciech Szczesny will not make his debut against Alaves in LaLiga on Sunday afternoon
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick says Szczesny will be an option after the international break
The Catalan side are facing a difficult period after the international break, with Bayern Munich featuring in the Champions League for three days before visiting Real Madrid in LaLiga on October 26.
‘I’m sure Szczesny will be an option for us after the international break. It will also be great for him to play for Barcelona. We’ll see how he does in training, we still have a lot of time,” said Flick.
Flick had said his decision to rest key starters had an impact on their first defeat of the domestic season, a 4-2 loss to Osasuna last weekend, and accepted players would be angry with his decisions.
‘It’s normal to get angry, everyone wants to play more. Those changes had to be implemented. It is a decision they have to accept and they have done so,ā he added.
The goalkeeper was training on Saturday at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper
‘Lamine Yamal (who started on the bench and was substituted in the 59th minute) complained that he wasn’t getting many balls, but now he can work on that.
‘We must avoid the many mistakes we made at Osasuna. We need to have more control and possession of the ball. It will be a high-intensity match at Alaves.’
