The entrance gate: Marc-Andre ter Stegen's record is still ahead? - Walla! sport

Summary: Barcelona - Manchester United 2:2 (Sport1)

On Sunday it happened again - Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept a clean sheet in the Spanish league.

It became this kind of habit, and even historical records were broken into pieces.

In the 1993/94 season, Deportivo La Coruna was a model of stable defense, finishing it with only 18 mandatory goals in 38 rounds.

After 22 games, its great goalkeeper Francisco Lianio - who unfortunately is not really known to fans of the younger generation - only put 9 balls out of the net.

It was an unimaginable figure, but Ter Stegen improved and upgraded it.

Barcelona conceded 7 goals in the first 22 rounds of the season, 3 of them in the loss to Real Madrid in the Clasico.

That leaves the German keeper with 17 games without conceding - and that's more than Llano.

So even in the last round, against Cadiz who made a blitz in the last minutes with the aim of scoring at least once in the loss at Camp Nou, he didn't let that happen with a spectacular series of saves.

When asked about the secret behind his amazing fitness in an interview with the Times newspaper, Ter Stegen testified that a long summer vacation helped him clear his head.

"I asked Xavi and national team coach Hansie Flick to really rest. For 3 years I haven't had a serious rest, and it takes a mental and physical toll. Usually there are only 3 weeks, and after 10 days they start planning the return to training. This time I had time to enjoy myself with The family and with the friends. The coaches understood the situation and said it was important to take a break," he said.

And so, after receiving quite a bit of criticism during last season for mistakes that appeared too frequently, Ter Stegen became a kind of human wall.

There is no goalkeeper more focused than him, and there can be no better leader for the young players in the backfield.

He gives a lot of advice to Ronald Araujo, Alejandro Balda, and also to Padri and Gabi when they come to help the rear.

Since the retirement of Gerard Pique, and his promotion to the position of fourth captain in the club, his importance has even increased in the dressing room.

Today he is one of the oldest players - only Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have been at Camp Nou longer than him.

He is completely identified with the Blaugrana, cannot imagine himself anywhere else, and also does his utmost to keep his friends at the club.

There is no goalkeeper more focused than him.

Ter Stegen (Photo: GettyImages, David Ramos)

According to Ter Stegen, he used all his weight to convince Frankie de Jong not to move to Manchester United in the summer.

To be honest, it didn't require too much hard work, because the Barcelona management was the one who pushed everything for the deal, while the Dutch star himself actually insisted not to leave, nor to give up his contract - even though his former coach Eric ten Haag was happy to see him at Old Trafford.

"I want De Jong to be at Barca for his whole career," the German claims, and to that spicy aspects, which are relevant now, when the team is facing the Red Devils in a double battle in the Europa League.

Once upon a time, at the beginning of Ter Stegen's career in Catalonia, he was not satisfied with his position to say the least and seriously considered leaving.

He was signed from Borussia Monchengladbach, left his boyhood club in tears because he was promised to be the first goalkeeper at the Camp Nou as the successor of Victor Valdes, and found himself on the back-up standard for Claudio Bravo who came after him from Real Sociedad.

It was the result of a lack of coordination and internal struggles in the management, and the German was initially the victim, because coach Luis Enrique preferred the Chilean - and left the German for games in other frameworks only.

This was the case not only in his first season, but also in 2015/16, and his patience ran out at some point.

He did win the Champions League with Barca as a team player in 2015, but he wanted to play on a weekly basis, and did not see an immediate professional horizon.

"I don't want to be the future goalkeeper of Barcelona, ​​because the future may still take a long time," stated the blond star.

Manchester United, which was not sure about the continuation of David de Gea's path at that time, followed the developments with interest, as did other teams, including Liverpool.

In the end, it was Bravo who made his way to the Premier League, when Pep Guardiola made him a key acquisition as part of his revolution when he arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2016. In England, the Chilean was far less successful than in Spain, and the fans did not accept him as a worthy replacement for their ousted beloved c and Hart, but in the meantime Ter Stegen took command at Camp Nou - once and for all.

Since then, even when the rumors of a possible interest from Manchester United were reported again, they were not relevant at all.

The German knew he was in the right place, and the support he received since then from all his coaches was absolute.

Will Ter Stegen take his place in goal?

Neuer (Photo: Reuters)

That consistency was important, especially given his bad luck in the national team, where he never had a fair chance to challenge Manuel Neuer between the posts.

Even at the age of 30, he still hasn't played a single minute in a major tournament in a German uniform, and the attempts to start a media war on the subject after the fiasco in the 2018 World Cup didn't help either.

Perhaps now, when the national captain broke his leg in a skiing accident after the World Cup in Qatar, while Ter Stegen shows such a bright ability in the Barca uniform, something will change in the mind, and he will become the leading candidate to remain between the posts of Flick even when the Bayern Munich star returns to full fitness.

The conflict between Neuer and his club, stemming from the surprising dismissal of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic, may certainly help Ter Stegen, who hopes that the best is yet to come, not only in the national team, but also in Barca itself.

The renewed momentum with Xavi on the lines, local youngsters and many purchase players makes him very optimistic.

"We are much stronger and more attractive now," he claims, and is also very happy with his personal contribution.

However, alongside the dizzying success in the local arena, in Europe Barça experienced a nightmarish adventure nonetheless.

The performance in the group stage in the Champions League was embarrassing mainly defensively, and Ter Stegen took 10 balls out of the net in 5 games on the way to elimination (and was left on the bench when Ignacy Pena conceded twice more in an insignificant game in Plzeň).

This phenomenon made the Spaniards wonder about the quality of their league, especially in regards to the conquests - and it is known that the average goals per game in it drops consistently.

More in Walla!

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The task will be difficult.

Rashford vs Ter Stegen (Photo: GettyImages, David Ramos)

In the crazy and eventful game against Manchester United last week, Ter Stegen was conceded twice more despite showing excellent ability, and the battle at Camp Nou ended in a 2:2 draw.

Now, up against the red-hot Marcus Rashford, without the injured Federer and the suspended Gabi, the task in the return leg at Old Trafford will be tough, and the Red Devils can see themselves as favorites to progress to the next stage.

On the other hand, the German goalkeeper is determined to try to keep a clean sheet in Europe for the first time this season.

If he does not do so, he will not have another chance, and Barcelona will have to concentrate on the local arena, where they are expected to play two games against Real Madrid in the semifinals of the King's Cup, and an open battle against the sworn rival from the capital for the championship title as well.

Because maybe Ter Stegen doesn't win in the league, but the victories are not easy, sometimes they are achieved on the edge of a goal - Barcelona already count 7 0:1 results this season.

This trend is not encouraging when one recalls the fate of La Coruna in the famous 1993/94 season, as Deportivo lost the championship in a dramatic final round when they missed a penalty in injury time and failed to beat Valencia in a 0:0 draw.

The big beneficiary was Johan Cruyff's Barca, and the current version of the Blaugrana should fear a reverse scenario in 29 years.

Meanwhile, after winning the Super Cup, she can still dream of 4 titles this season.

Will it remain so even after the visit to Tan Haah?

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