The decision by Hansi Flick to give ownership to Szczesny was a topic of much debate and discussion in the first weeks of January. Yoñaki Peña was late to the pre-semifinal talk of the Supercopa in Arabia, and the coach opted for the Polish goalkeeper, who convinced him and changed his role in the team. Ten games later, all in 2025, his performance has proven the German coach right. Against Rayo Vallecano, Szczesny was decisive again, especially in three key actions, and added a new zero goal that allowed the Barça block to take the three points and put the leader of La Liga.
Szczesny’s impact can be seen in the fact that he has already defended the Barça goal ten times, counting all competitions, and has conceded only one goal in those matches. What’s more, in half of the matches, no goal has been conceded: against Barbastro, Athletic, Alavés, Valencia, and Rayo Vallecano. This is a significant improvement for Barça, as Szczesny has managed to put an end to a pending subject of the club this season – keeping a clean sheet. In fact, against Rayo Vallecano, a goal from Lewandowski was enough to add the three points, with Szczesny keeping a clean sheet.
As Alejandro Balde noted, “Very happy for the work of the team and for leaving the goal to zero.” This sentiment is echoed by the team’s performance, which has shown significant improvement in recent games.
Three key moments
Against Rayo Vallecano in the Olympic Stadium, the Barça goal had three key actions. In the 35th minute, Szczesny was providential in a center from Ratiu; in the 38th minute, he had a double intervention before a shot from Nteka and another from Álvaro; and in the 68th minute, he signed another merit-worthy intervention before De Frutos. Additionally, the Polish goalkeeper was safe in all the interventions he had, giving 38 good passes and only four failed.
As Balde said, “We must give merit to the defensive phase, we have done an incredible job.” This is evident in the team’s performance, which has shown a significant improvement in defense. After the meeting, Balde noted, “We knew it was an important game, we put ourselves leaders. Very happy for the work of the team and for leaving the goal to zero. We must give merit to the defensive phase, we have done an incredible job. We have suffered, but you have to know how to suffer.”