FC Barcelona crushed Valencia in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (0-5) in another good day for Wojciech Szczesny. For the second consecutive match, the Polish goalkeeper kept his goal clean and remains undisputed in Hansi Flick's lineup, with an average of one goal conceded per match (8 goals in 8 appearances). At Mestalla, Iñaki Peña remained on the bench, adding up to five consecutive games as a substitute.
After the match, Flick expressed satisfaction with the Polish player, whom he confirmed as a starter just before the match at Mestalla. "His job is to protect the goal. His personality is good for us. And he has kept the goal clean, which is what we want", argued the coach. Against Valencia, the '25' was very secure with his feet, completing 24 of 27 passes (89%), in addition to recovering 6 balls. In the 24th minute, Pepelu tested him with the only shot on target from Valencia throughout the match, but Szczesny responded with a great save.
Szczesny gains confidence and clears doubts with Iñaki Peña
In this regard, the experienced goalkeeper also shared his thoughts on Barcelona's victory and referred to the debate about the Blaugrana goal. "There is no problem between Iñaki and me. We get along very well and we are helping each other a lot for the good of the team", he said referring to his relationship with the Alicante player, from whom he has managed to take the starting position this 2025. Thursday's match was his eighth and his fourth clean sheet.
Regarding this, Wojciech expressed that he was happy to avoid "a ridiculous result like 5-1 or 5-2; a 5-0 seems better to me. I am very grateful for the work my teammates did today, they really made it very easy for me", commented the Polish player. He also reiterated that he feels much more confident with the culé scheme. "I continue with my adaptation process to a style that has the defensive line very advanced, but I feel better and better, more secure", he pointed out.