"I consider that my cycle as a Barcelona player will come to an end when my current contract expires in 2014," goalkeeper Víctor Valdés said last May. The Spaniard came through the famous La Masia academy to make the number 1 spot his own following his first team debut in 2002 and, with his deal ending in the summer, has decided to leave Barcelona for a new challenge.
After the confirmation that he'll be departing the club, rumours were rife as to who could replace the 32-year-old. Pepe Reina, Thibaut Courtois and even Iker Casillas were all mooted with a potential switch to the reigning Liga champions, but it appears Marc-André ter Stegen may be set to move to Barcelona after the 21-year-old rejected a new contract at current club Borussia Mönchengladbach.
However, there are those that have their reservations as to whether the youngster is good enough to replace Valdés. The Blaugrana stopper is widely regarded as one of the finest in his position in world football and his average WhoScored rating in La Liga this term (7.08), a figure bettered only by 2 regular goalkeepers in Spain, reinforces this. Nevertheless, while Valdés has impressed in the Barcelona goal, Ter Stegen's average rating (7.24) betters the player he's reportedly replacing.
His rating highlights why the Primera Division side allegedly want him to succeed their current number 1. While Valdés boasts a superior save success rate (80.7%) compared to Ter Stegen (76.2%), it's perhaps telling that Gladbach are conceding vastly more shots per game (14.8) than Barcelona (8.6) in their respective leagues.
When taking into consideration that Barcelona average 70.9% possession, coupled with their high quality defence and the ability to limit the clear-cut chances of the opposition, Ter Stegen's exploits in goal become much more impressive when compared to Valdés. The German will have to face big chances more often than the Barcelona stopper.
The young goalkeeper is able to deal with the increased pressure on Die Fohlen’s goal, highlighted in the 105 shots he has faced - a full 43 more than Valdes (62). With an only slightly worse save success, Ter Stegen is averaging significantly more saves per game (4.2) than Valdes (2.8) as he exhibits his excellent reflexes to limit the number of times Gladbach concede.
This has seen the Bundesliga outfit ship just 24 goals this season, a figure only the current top 3 in Germany can better. Without Ter Stegen between the sticks, it's questionable whether Gladbach would be where they are, just 3 points behind third placed Dortmund.
Of course, the main question over a potential move is whether the German can adjust his playing style to match Barcelona’s. While Ter Stegen can evidently perform to the highest standard when opponents test his goal, the drop in action will mean his concentration levels are tested.
Valdés has developed grown used to this during his time at the club, evidenced in that he has conceded only 113 league goals and kept 72 clean sheets in his last 154 appearances. However, Ter Stegen certainly has the potential to refine this facet of his game to ensure he grows into one of the best in his position.
Furthermore, a team like Barcelona requires a goalkeeper who can perform well with the ball at his feet as they aim to begin attacks from the back and work their way forward. Ter Stegen excels in this regard, with only Manuel Neuer (87.8%) and Gianluigi Buffon (81.2%) maintaining a better pass success rate than the youngster (76.1%) of every goalkeeper with at least 5 appearances in Europe’s big 5 divisions this season.
Better still, that figure is a vast improvement on Valdés (59.6%), and that would benefit the players ahead of him. Ter Stegen’s accuracy when picking out a teammate would undeniably appeal to the club as they aim to maintain their possession-based approach to each game.
Moreover, with a statistically calculated strength of ‘long passing’, reinforced in his 175 accurate long balls this season, Ter Stegen is able to pick out a player higher up the pitch too, an asset that would allow Barcelona to capitalise on their WhoScored strength of ‘counter attacks’. With head coach Tata Martino encouraging his full-backs to press higher up the pitch, Ter Stegen's distribution means the club can instigate attacks quicker and more directly if necessary.
The young shotstopper has shown the qualities needed to replace Valdés when he departs the club at the end of the season. Be it in possession or shot-stopping, Ter Stegen’s ability at such a young age means he’ll make for a fine summer acquisition, and there's every possibility that he could surpass the experienced Barça ace as their best goalkeeper in recent history.
Do you think Ter Stegen is good enough to replace Valdés at Barcelona? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
