Although there have been a series of comments about Hansi Flick's personal character throughout the season, one of the reasons why Barcelona would have brought him in was to install discipline in the squad. There is little doubt that he followed through.
According to TV3, Inaki Pena was the latest player to be affected by Flick's punctuality standards. Instead of imposing fines, Barcelona's coach has a rule that means players are benched if they arrive late to team meetings. Jules Kounde and Lamine Yamal have faced the consequences of that rule several times, with Pena missing the start of a meeting by a few minutes before their semi-final against Athletic Club.
As a result, Wojciech Szczesny was handed his second start for Barcelona, following his debut 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 made. Next question'.
To some extent it has reignited the debate over the goalkeeper's position, after a decent performance from Szczesny, with two important saves. Given the circumstances, it would still come as a surprise if Pena was not reinstated for the final.
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