The Barcelona star fell for the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup after Hansi Flick’s punishment

Hansi Flick has named his starting XI for the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club, and a big decision has been made as Wojciech Szczesny has retained his place in goal after keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Barbastro last weekend.

However, it is not by merit that Szczesny has stayed in the lineup, but because the usual starter Iñaki Peña has been punished by Flick. According to Helena Condis, the Spaniard was supposed to start in Saudi Arabia, but after arriving late for a team session, he was ruled out.

Iñaki Peña was going to be the starter today. But he arrived a few minutes late for the activation session at the hotel and Flick ‘punished’ him. @HelenaCondis

— Barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 8, 2025

Flick has taken a no-nonsense approach to these matters since becoming Barcelona manager last summer, and has been consistent in this latest incident. It is a great disappointment for Peña, although he only has himself to blame.

It will be very interesting to see how Szczesny fares against Athletic, as he should be much busier than on his debut in Barcelona.