Barcelona’s captain, Ter Stegen, is finally back in training. The German keeper picked up an injury at the start of the season, which looked to keep him out for the rest of the season. However, Ter Stegen has recovered for the last stage of the season. He aims to help the team compete in all the titles. Wojciech Szczesny, who had retired from professional football and joined Barca after Ter Stegen’s injury, has been in red-hot form. Here I am going to go through the pros and cons of both keepers to decide who should be the main keeper for the closing stages of the season.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen:
The 6 feet 2 inches German keeper has been Barca’s main man between the sticks since his signing in 2014. Ter Stegen played a pivotal role in Barca’s treble-winning season in 2015. After Sergio Busquets’s departure, he was chosen as the team’s first captain. In recent years, Barca fans have questioned his continuity because of inconsistent performances, particularly on the European stage. Now, he has returned from injury to reclaim his position in the starting lineup.
Advantages:
- Ter Stegen is a keeper who looks tailor-made to play for Barcelona. Extremely good on the ball to build up from the back and excellent long-ball abilities. The German keeper is an extra centre-back when Barca builds from the back to achieve numerical superiority.
- Team Chemistry: Ter Stegen has been at Barcelona for more than a decade and is well aware of the club’s philosophy and playing style. Some might even say it will be disrespectful to exclude him from a treble-contending season.
- Communication: Ter Stegen has long been fluent in Spanish and can communicate with his backline with ease, which is an important part of a goalkeeper’s duties.
Disadvantages:
- Ter Stegen has just returned from injury and may not be able to perform at the same level he was at the start of the season.
- Historically speaking, the German keeper has not been the most consistent when it comes to bright lights in European competitions. Against Roma, PSG, and Liverpool, he could have saved Barca from elimination with better shot-stopping.
- It might not be the best idea to change the team’s main keeper during such a crucial stage of a treble-contending season. Even more so when Wojciech Szczesny has been in such good form.
Wojciech Szczesny:
The Polish keeper had hung up his boots and retired from professional football. However, when Barca came knocking on the door, Szczesny couldn’t say no. He said, “If you say no to BarƧa, it means you don’t have the guts for such a challenge”. “I wouldn’t have put on the gloves again for any other club”
Advantages
- Wojciech Szczesny is an extremely experienced keeper who has competed on the highest stages of football. In addition to that, the Polish keeper has a personality and ego, which I think is necessary for a top-level keeper. We all remember his body language in the 2022 World Cup before saving Leo Messi’s penalty.
- Szczesny is a world-class shot stopper, I would argue even better than what Ter Stegen has been in a long time. When playing in top competitions, especially the Champions League, there are times when you need your keeper to bail you out. We saw that in the R16 1st leg vs Benfica, where he made crucial saves to keep us in the game despite being a man down. Alisson did the same for his team on the same night.
- Barcelona have still only lost once with Szczesny as their keeper, and that loss to Dortmund didn’t cost them much. He has been in excellent form, and there is little to no reason to replace the Polish keeper.
Disadvantages
- Szczesny is still trying to learn Spanish and at times has difficulties in communicating with his backline. An example of this would be his clash with Balde during the League phase game vs Dortmund.
- Szczesny is not a terrible keeper when it comes to on-the-ball abilities, but he is definitely not as good as Ter Stegen. There are some moments in Szczesny’s game when you think Ter Stegen would have been more accurate with his feet.
Conclusion:
Hansi Flick does not see a reason to switch his main keeper at the moment, and I have to agree with him. Szczesny is doing more than a decent job between the sticks and deserves to keep his spot. There is also concern regarding Ter Stegen’s track record in the Champions League Knockout phases. With that being said, Ter Stegen can start in League games where he can regain his form to compete for his spot in the next season.