Blame Enrique, not Ter Stegen

Marc-Andre ter Stegen returns to action for Barcelona this weekend against Deportivo La Coruna, in his first appearance since he was roundly criticised following the Catalans’ 4-3 defeat at Celta Vigo on October 2.

Ter Stegen set a new La Liga goalkeeping record of 51 successful passes against Athletic Bilbao in August, yet that was all forgotten just two months later as his nervous showing aided Celta in their shock win against Barca.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach man’s pass to Sergio Busquets was miscontrolled by the midfielder, leading to the Galicians’ first goal, and his attempted chipped ball to Jordi Alba was later charged down for their winner.

However, despite question marks being raised about the Germany international’s ability to be No 1 at Camp Nou, the player himself was philosophical about the criticism, stating he had no plans to alter his approach.

“Despite what happened, I won't change my game as it’s only happened once. Still it was my fault,” he insisted.

Unsurprisingly in his post-match interview, Luis Enrique came out in firm support of his goalkeeper. Echoing Ter Stegen’s view that occasional mistakes should not lead to a change in mentality, he hinted, however, that perhaps his main crime was trying to be too much of a Barca player.

“We didn't win a single duel, attack the spaces, position ourselves well, have control of the game or play with fluidity,” the Coach noted. “A Barcelona goalkeeper must take risks. I won’t evaluate individual errors here, but the goalkeeper is key for us.”

Enrique’s response to the defeat and Ter Stegen’s performance was expected as he almost always looks to defend his players, particularly when an error is likely to be as a result of his tactics.

High pressing and playing out from the back, even when under pressure, have been synonymous with Barca long before Enrique took over, and he is a committed disciple of the method.

Defensively. Barca are structured so that their central defenders will sit deep to collect the ball from their goalkeeper and build play through defence into midfield, with every player required to be active in possession.

It is from this point that Ter Stegen’s display, and mistakes, must be assessed within the context of Enrique’s tactical framework. The German’s job is to maintain possession, playing to his defenders wherever possible – an ethos that is likely always worked on in training.

As a club, Barca have been at the forefront of the development in importance of the sweeper-keeper, with successive goalkeepers being required to often act as a deep-lying defender.

Due to this fact, Ter Stegen is somewhat protected in his errors as he is encouraged to pass rather than clear his lines, so it would be illogical for Enrique, or anyone at the club to criticise him.

Having a goalkeeper with the capabilities to act as an extra ball-playing defender is the hallmark of most teams vying for the game's top prizes, given no sides can afford passengers in their starting XI.

Ter Stegen has a fantastic example in Bayern Munich and Germany teammate Manuel Neuer, who has become the best in the business at keeping his teams constantly on the front foot.

It appears that Enrique is perfectly happy with Ter Stegen as the positives will always likely outweigh the negatives in his performances, and passing is a significant facet of his game.

La Liga - Club News