Another Barcelona starter suffers Hansi Flick discipline in Spanish Supercup | OneFootball

While there has been a string of comments about the personable nature of Hansi Flick throughout the season, one of the reasons Barcelona supposedly brought him in was to install discipline in the side. There is little doubt that he has followed through on that.

According to TV3, Inaki Pena was the latest player to suffer from Flick’s punctuality standards. Rather than impose fines, the Barcelona coach has a rule that means players will be benched if they arrive late for team meetings. Jules Kounde and Lamine Yamal have already faced the consequences of that rule on multiple occasions, and Pena missed the beginning of a meeting by a few minutes ahead of their semi-final against Athletic Club.

As a result, Wojciech Szczesny was handed his second start for Barcelona, after debuting in the Copa del Rey last weekend. After being asked about it, Flick was blunt in his response, saying ‘Inaki was on the bench, that was the decision I took. Next question’.

It has to some degree reignited the debate over the goalkeeping position, after a decent showing from Szczesny, coming up with two important saves. Given the circumstances, it would still come as a surprise if Pena was not restored for the final.