In the absence of the back-injured Marc-André ter Stegen, it is Iñaki Peña who guards the cage at Barca. In an interview, he states that he still considers himself a second goalkeeper, but that he is happy to be able to help the team.
It is Barca themselves who have met Iñaki Peña for a chat about his role as reserve goalkeeper and the playing time he will get in Ter Stegen’s absence.
“At the end of the day, everyone wants to play and feel important to the team. On the other hand, I know my role and my mindset doesn’t change now that I get playing time” comes from Peña.
“When you have the role of second goalkeeper, you have to be patient, but you never know when the opportunity will arise. You have to be maximally prepared to be able to perform when you are needed. You have to train as if you are going to play, because you can become your turn from one day to the next,” he continues.
He is asked if he gets support from Ter Stegen:
“Yes, we try to help each other as much as we can, so that we both get better, at the same time as we fight for the place in the goal. We both train with the highest intensity and that makes us better,” he replies.
Finally, Peña is asked if it bothers him that his playing time coincides with a bad period for the team:
“It is true that it is not the best period for the team in which I have joined, but in all seasons there are good and bad periods. My task is to help as much as possible so that we can move forward” he concludes .
