"Wow, I didn't expect that", "What exactly is wrong with Flick" - Fans react as Barcelona star included in XI for Valencia clash

Fans reacted as Barcelona boss Hansi Flick starts goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the La Liga home clash with Valencia on Sunday (January 27). The Pole conceded four goals in his last outing for the club.

In a midweek UEFA Champions League clash at Benfica, Flick's side withstood a Vangelis Pavlidis hat-trick to emerge triumphant in a nine-goal thriller, recovering from a 4-2 deficit, thanks to Raphinha's dramatic 96th-minute winner.

However, fans aren't enthused with Szczesny starting against Valencia five days later after a rather forgettable outing in Portugal.

One tweeted:

"Szczesny Gi Ni well we already lost the league, so carry on."

Another chimed in:

"Line-up: Szczesny starts. Wow, I didn't expect that tbh."

There were similar reactions of disappointment from other fans regarding Szczesny starting, with one tweeting:

"What exactly is wrong with Flick? Szczesny again?????"

Another posted:

"Szczesny, how can a keeper keep having bad games, and the coach keeps starting him FFS. Na only God fit win this match for us. See lineup dey gba"

One fan wrote on X:

"Szczesny playing too put the loss in the bag"

The 34-year-old Szczesny arrived at the Camp Nou in October last year and has appeared four times across competitions for Barca, keeping two clean sheets.

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How has Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski fared this season?

Robert Lewandowski (right)

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is in the midst of a superb season, registering 28 goals and three assists in 29 games across competitions. That includes 16 goals and two assists in 19 outings in La Liga, where Flick's side are fourth, 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid, with a game in hand.

Earlier this season, in a 3-0 matchday five UEFA Champions League home win over Brest, the Polish marksman's first of two goals on the night made him only the third player to score 100 times in the competition. The only two players ahead of him are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Lewandowski holds a slew of records in European club football's blue riband competition. He's the only player to score four times in a Champions League semi-final. The Barcelona striker is also the only one to score hat-tricks in the competition for three different sides, the other clubs for which he did so being Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.