Inaki Pena reveals what Hansi Flick told him after Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid | OneFootball

If there is one position in this current FC Barcelona team that raised questions previously, it was the goalkeeping position. Even when Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was in goal, La Blaugrana seemed to have doubts about their quality in between the sticks. Unfortunately, Ter Stegen did not even get much of a chance to suppress those doubts regarding Barcelona.

Due to an untimely injury in the game against Villarreal, Ter Stegen had to be stretchered off and his season essentially came to an end right there. In his place, Inaki Pena stepped up to replace him in the starting eleven and even Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was brought in out of retirement.

However, in the case of Pena, there were a lot of doubts over whether or not he would be able to play at the level that is expected of a starting Barcelona goalkeeper. While many doubted him, Hansi Flick’s confidence in his abilities remained constant and it ended up paying off greatly.

Against Real Madrid in the recent El Clasico, Pena had a stellar performance both on the ball and while keeping it out of the net as well. In fact, after the game, the player even shared what Hansi Flick said to him in an exclusive interview with Mundo Deportivo:

“He said he was very happy for me, that he trusted me, that he knew what I was capable of, and that he never doubted my level. I saw him happy, yes.”

He also stated that he felt that the confidence in his abilities remained clear within the club, while he seems to not care about the external noise concerning him:

“I don’t know about externally, but inside the club I’ve always felt it—from the coaches, the goalkeeping staff, and my teammates… You’re never as bad as when you let in four goals, nor as good when you keep a clean sheet. I’m very clear on that.”

Against the likes of Sevilla, Bayern Munich, and most recently Real Madrid, Inaki Pena has been putting up some strong displays in what was a crucial week for Barcelona. Conceding only twice in those three games, while his team ended up scoring 13 goals against them, he remains in incredible form.