Goalkeeping Selection Headache Highlights Why Germany Are the Team to Beat
Two's company. Three's a crowd. Or so we are often told. It may well be worth asking Germany's trident of U-21 goalkeepers their thoughts on that sentiment after this summer's European U-21 Championships.
A nation boasting current (Manuel Neuer) and historical (Oliver Kahn and Harald Schumacher to name a couple) greats in the position, Germany have a long-standing tradition of producing some of the world's best goalkeepers.
It appears, for the foreseeable future, that tradition will continue.
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On the eve of the European U-21 Championships, Germany are being touted as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, introducing the world to another golden generation of players in the process. The favourites' tag, however, is not merely down to talented individuals but rather an immensely talented squad, one with an extraordinary amount of depth.
Perhaps the best indication of just how much quality and depth there is comes when evaluating the 'keepers.
The biennial international tournament is often a stage for the new stars of the game to come to light. But Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Bernd Leno and Timo Horn are already household names across Europe.
Now Horst Hrubesch has the enviable task of selecting which one to opt for. Selection headaches are often considered one of the most delightful choices for a manager to have at his disposal, but there is a sense that this particular headache is a difficult one to deal with.
Such is the wealth of talent among this trident of young 'keepers that it would be feasible to claim they represent the three best in their position at the upcoming tournament.
What a shame just one of them will be able to display that talent.
Likely to be at the front of the queue is Barcelona's Ter Stegen, a goalkeeper who had already made a name for himself in Germany but has announced himself to a wider audience this year.
The 23-year-old stopper currently finds himself in a curious position. While Claudio Bravo has been handed the Barcelona gloves for La Liga games, it is Ter Stegen who guards the net for cup matches, with his performances contributing to both Champions League and Copa del Rey triumphs.
Joining Barcelona for €12 million ahead of the 2014-2015 campaign, Ter Stegen had already displayed his capabilities in the Bundesliga, with 108 appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach. In that time there were an impressive 36 clean sheets for a side that was something of a yo-yo outfit in Germany's top flight.
It must therefore be a source of frustration that he has only been used in cup competitions, especially when his stats from those games are considered. In 13 Champions League matches, the 23-year-old has kept six clean sheets. In the Copa del Rey, he has left the field unbeaten on four out of eight occasions.
A very commanding presence in the box, Ter Stegen is a rarity in Spain as a 'keeper who prefers to claim crosses rather than punching them clear, with a 96 percent claim success rate according to Squawka this season.
Then there is an astonishing 85 percent distribution success rate to discuss.
Writing after his performance in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid, El Mundo Deportivo reported: "He looked like a sweeper or a defensive midfielder when he stopped the ball with his chest and was equally skilled in his distribution of the ball."
There is much to be admired about his distribution, one of the main reasons Barcelona opted for Ter Stegen rather than a number of other talented stoppers, with his ability on the ball making him a perfect fit for their style.
These capabilities are also arguably why of the three goalkeepers in the squad, only Ter Stegen has played for Germany’s senior side.
Comparisons with Manuel Neuer are predictable. Though they are perhaps a little premature, given the young age of Barcelona's 'keeper, they are certainly on point. Ter Stegen is the closest to a clone of Neuer out of the three options Germany have this summer.
But being a clone of Neuer should not necessarily dictate a starting spot for the Barcelona man. Conversely, if Hrubesch was opting for the most experienced and consistent of the three, it would be Bayer Leverkusen's Bernd Leno who would get the nod.
Far from being a cup player, Leno has firmly cemented his place as Leverkusen's No. 1 since signing from Stuttgart in 2011. With well in excess of 150 Leverkusen games to his name, Leno is also the most experienced of the three at U-21 level, although he does not have any senior caps to date.
The 2014-2015 campaign was Leno's best so far, with 23 clean sheets in 48 games an indication of his importance to the third-meanest Bundesliga defence. In the league, he also averaged an impressive 2.03 saves per game and 94 percent claim success rate, as well as a phenomenal 100 percent claim success rate in Europe.
As these stats suggest, Leno is a very confident presence in the penalty area and, like Ter Stegen, fills his defence with assurance.
His performance away at Atletico Madrid drew particular praise this season, with Leno more unfortunate than anyone to be on the losing side.
His abilities have clearly not gone unnoticed with Leno collecting admirers almost on a weekly basis. While he has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in the past by Marca, the 6'3" stopper was also rumoured to be interesting Arsenal last week according to Metro (h/t Daily Mail).
Leno may not have the presence of a big name like Ter Stegen, but he represents just as assured an option for the side and will certainly have reason to feel hard done by if he is forced to settle for a place on the bench this summer.
His feud with the Barcelona stopper adds an intriguing edge to the battle for the starting spot, with the Guardian's Raphael Honigstein indicating "a few months ago Hrubesch had been expected to take only one of them to the Czech Republic." However, the feud was played down by the manager this week, who expects both players to remain "professional."
The fact that a player of Timo Horn’s ability and stature is almost certain to be the third-choice goalkeeper must be a painful pill for the tournament's other sides to swallow.
Horn is arguably as good, if not better than most of the other men in his position going to the tournament but suffers from the misfortune that his two counterparts are even better still. Playing for Cologne, Horn has been performing very well for a side that does not have the clout of Ter Stegen's Barcelona or Leno's Leverkusen but still continues to impress nonetheless.
With a rate of 2.79 saves per game and a 97 percent claim success rate, Horn was in record-breaking form at the beginning of the Bundesliga season. The 22-year-old went 365 top-flight minutes without conceding a goal and kept four successive clean sheets. This is all the more impressive when considering these records were broken while playing for a newly promoted side.
At the age of just 22, he has already established himself as Cologne’s first-choice goalkeeper and has recently passed the 100-appearance mark for the club. He has played at every youth level for his nation but holds just four U-21 appearances to his name, thanks largely to the presence of Leno and Ter Stegen.
If ever an indication was needed as to how good this Germany squad is, then the competition for the No. 1 shirt symbolises it. There are many talented squads at this summer’s European U-21 Championship, but Germany's is likely to be the one to beat.
The strength in depth they have in the goalkeeping position is matched across the entire squad. Therefore, come the end of June, it will come as no surprise to see Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Bernd Leno and Timo Horn with winners' medals around their necks.
It is just unfortunate that only one of them is likely to have played a part in that success.
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