Ter Stegen injury provides first major headache for Flick at Barcelona

Barcelona continued their good home document this season, however Sunday’s 1-5 rout over Villarreal was a bittersweet outing.

The sport was marred by goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen struggling a severe knee harm that may maintain him out of motion for a lot of the remainder of this season.

FC Barcelona confirmed on Monday that ter Stegen will endure surgical procedure after exams revealed a “full rupture” within the patella tendon in his proper knee. Catalan radio station Rac1 reported that the harm might see the German out for as much as eight months, which might imply his marketing campaign is already completed. 

The lack of their captain will probably be an enormous take a look at for Barça within the coming months, who will now depend on Iñaki Peña to be their primary goalkeeper whereas ter Stegen is out. Peña stepped into the primary group for a spell of 17 video games in the midst of final season whereas ter Stegen was struggling with a again drawback, and regardless of successful plaudits early on, cúlers have been glad to see ter Stegen returning and have been left with some issues that the reserve goalkeeper may very well be a place to strengthen. 

Final season, the distinction between the efficiency of each goalkeepers was stark: Peña conceded 32 targets in 17 video games, whereas ter Stegen let in solely 37 in 36 matches.

But, the Catalans didn’t usher in any new goalkeepers throughout the switch window, and that implies that Iñaki Peña would be the first group internet minder at the least till January. How effectively the previous Barça Atlètic keeper does throughout this spell of deputizing will decide whether or not the membership will look to herald reinforcements within the subsequent switch window. 

Murmurs of strengthening within the goalkeeper place have been already starting when ter Stegen had a night to overlook in Barça’s Champions League opener away to Monaco final week. Confusion between he and Eric Garcia led to a scenario the place Garcia was despatched off, setting Barça on a foul observe to ultimately shedding their European opener 2-1 to the Principality facet.

Now, Joan Laporta will probably be confronted with a two-pronged query for January: will Barça search for a greater backup goalkeeper, a alternative for Iñaki Peña? Or will they as an alternative look on to signal a participant who can compete with ter Stegen for the highest spot? 

Alternatively, the membership might transfer to the free brokers market. If Barça signed a participant at the moment unattached with a group, they may very well be registered to play within the group instantly. 

Keylor Navas, Sergio Rico, Jordi Masip, Edgar Badía, Tomas Vaclik, Nikola Petric, and Loris Karius are a few of the skilled goalkeepers at the moment with out golf equipment.  

Peña will hope to quell the membership’s worries over the place as he takes the gloves for the subsequent few months at the least. The blaugrana should depend on him for the majority of their Champions League group part and roughly half of the home marketing campaign, at the least. 

After a dream begin to the Flick period, the brand new had their first setback of the season in that Monaco defeat. Now the German coach can have a good trickier process on his arms; constructing across the second-choice goalkeeper.