da apostebet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
da bet esporte： Barcelona have seen some better days in their incredibly rich history – the days of Pep Guardiola picking up Champions League honours particularly coming to mind.
And precisely because of that history, it’s unusual to see them have a bad or a slow start to the season. Sure, even the biggest of clubs fluff their lines here and there and even the champions can fall in an upset or two.
But seven games into the new domestic campaign and one into the Champions League group stage, and we’re still waiting for Barcelona to fully announce themselves to the world. Only four wins, two defeats, and a mere one game in which Barca have scored more than twice.
With Lionel Messi’s ongoing injury problems, it’s not really a surprise that we haven’t seen the Catalans’ full power and their final form just yet. But what’s even more concerning is that one of their best performers has been their goalkeeper.
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Marc-Andre ter Stegen is very much Blaugrana’s first-choice goalie and has his place set in stone. But he has warranted that status within the squad by saving his team on numerous occasions so far.
If you look at Barcelona’s record in 2019/20, you might question that statement. After all, the lads from the Catalan capital had conceded a goal in every single league game until their latest bout with Getafe. It’s not really a defensive record of champions and it doesn’t really say anything hugely positive about their goalkeeper.
But had it not been for Ter Stegen, who knows how many more would have rattled their net.
So far, the German has averaged two saves per game in La Liga and four saves in the Champions League, alongside a penalty save.
This does put these words into perspective a bit more but it was actually the game against Getafe that’s somehow the crown jewel of his contribution.
Barcelona were struggling to break down the organised defence of their hosts and then Ter Stegen announced himself properly.
The German first ran out of his box to intercept a pass, only to chest it down and after a brief glance at his forwards, he lofted a pinpoint long ball into the feet of Luis Suarez who finished it with a chip over the goalkeeper.
With that, he became the first goalkeeper in the 21st century to tally an assist for Barcelona.
Right now, he just might be their most important player, especially with a certain Argentine wizard still being sidelined by injuries.
And if he continues performing on that level, it will be just a matter of time before the world recognises him as such too.