Can Yann Sommer Eclipse Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's Gladbach Legacy?
Tasked with the difficult job of replacing Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Yann Sommer's recent form for Borussia Monchengladbach indicates he has no plans on being a passable goalkeeper—he is striving to be elite.
Sommer has been world-class as Gladbach move on post-Ter Stegen.
- Sommer's 36-9 in saves-games played shows he is a prolific shot-stopper.
- His 44.4 percent of saves occurred inside the penalty box proves he comes up big when Gladbach are exposed.
- A 90 save percentage is video game numbers.
- Sommer's 9.0 saves per goal conceded is equal to Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer.
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Gladbach competing intensely with Bundesliga champions Bayern, a potentially dynastic side, getting a 0-0 draw, is another sign Lucien Favre's side have become contenders.
Neuer deserves plaudits for saving Bayern from losing to Gladbach, though how many saves did he make?
Five.
The same as Sommer.
| Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Germany | 22 | 6'2" | 187 lbs |
| Yann Sommer | Switzerland | 25 | 6'0" | 174 lbs |
On the surface, Sommer is not physically imposing.
Lacking two inches in height and 13 pounds in weight compared to Ter Stegen, Sommer was not the ideal replacement (on paper).
Furthermore, Sommer does not have the upside of German young guns like Koln's 21-year-old Timo Horn or Mainz's 21-year-old Loris Karius.
But not every prospect transitions into the next Ter Stegen or Thibaut Courtois.
Hoffenheim's 22-year-old Belgian Koen Casteels has incredible potential ability, yet he is unreliable.
Gladbach management scouted Sommer to a great degree.
Playing a combined 47 times in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League games for Basel and Vaduz reassured Gladbach management that Sommer could make the jump from the Swiss Super League to the Bundesliga.
Unlike the Premier League, there is no dearth of home-grown talent in the Bundesliga.
Therefore, foreigners need to be creme de la creme, otherwise they will be replaced by a German. That factored into Belgian goalkeeper Logan Bailly being moved on to facilitate Ter Stegen's development.
- Ter Stegen, Gladbach → Barcelona: €12/£9.5 million.
- Sommer, Basel → Gladbach: €6/£4.7 million.
Given the sheer magnitude of spending power between Barca and Gladbach, the fact that Sommer's transfer fee is in the ball park of Ter Stegen's reaffirms how highly the Bundesliga club rate the Swiss international.
"Sommer is an outstanding goalkeeper who has already gained huge international experience," Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl said, per Gladbach's official website (h/t the Bundesliga's official website). "We're delighted he has chosen to come to us."
Sommer's positive first impression at Gladbach is strikingly different to Ter Stegen's character testing start at Barca.
After three seasons as an undisputed starter at Gladbach, there are whispers of doubt regarding how good Ter Stegen really is, now that he is under daily pressure at Barca.
A back injury hindered his training routine for two weeks and he is being outplayed by Claudio Bravo as Barca manager Luis Enrique rotates the two.
In La Liga, Claudio Bravo went 754 minutes unbeaten before conceding three times in El Clasico.
Meanwhile in the Champions League, Ter Stegen has been left ruminating how he can command a Barca team full of champions as if he was back at Gladbach.
Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, one of the greatest goalkeepers ever, played down concerns speculating Ter Stegen's form was linked to low confidence.
"Ter Stegen is recovered from the mistake [against Paris Saint-Germain]," Zubizarreta said, per AS (h/t Football Espana). "He has the personality to overcome any setback."
Conversely, when Sommer arrived at Gladbach, he immediately attempted to distance himself from the immense shadow Ter Stegen left.
"I'm not putting myself under any pressure as Marc's successor," Sommer said, per the Bundesliga's official website. "I'm not looking to make people at Borussia forget him, I just want to be a good keeper for the team."
While Ter Stegen is under pressure to justify the hype at Barca, Sommer has alleviated the pressure at Gladbach by outplaying his predecessor.
Sommer's Kicker player rating [1] is 0.20 points better than Ter Stegen's last season at Gladbach.
Statistics via WhoScored
[1] Kicker judges footballers on a rating of one-six; the lower the rating the better.
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