Barcelona will be without their starting goalkeeper for the final game before the international break as Joan Garcia has been ruled out with a knee injury for Saturday’s La Liga clash against Sevilla.
Hansi Flick was asked at a press conference on Friday about Joan’s replacement this weekend as Wojciech Szczęsny and new signing Domink Livaković are both available for selection.
Szczęsny made a bad error that led to a goal in midweek against Racing Santander and fans are calling for a debut for Livaković,
and Flick addressed the situation.
“I said it after the game, we all make mistakes and Tek knows that. I spoke to him. From the first touch, I knew he was in trouble, and hopefully it won’t happen again. Tek knows our philosophy and how we want to play. Dominic has just arrived and is adapting to our style of football. If he’s ready to play, that’s what we have to think about. It’s always about thinking what’s best for the team. We always analyze the situation and think about what’s best for the team.
“It’s very important to have quality in this position. With Dominic, we have a top-level goalkeeper. Regarding Tek, when you look back, especially in the first season when we won the league with him and he was responsible for that, for me it’s important to have goalkeepers of quality and experience.”
Flick’s words seem to indicate that Szczęsny will remain the backup goalkeeper for now until Livaković is more adapted to the system, which requires a lot not only as a shot-stopper but as a passer and sweeper keeper.
So it seems as though Tek will be the choice on Saturday, and he’ll have the chance to fully prepare for the game as a starter and will be focused in avoiding another silly mistake.
