Why Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen Needs to Impress in Las Palmas Clash

You might think that being the goalkeeper for FC Barcelona is an easy job, just a front row seat to watch the majesty of Lionel Messi and Co., but tell that to Marc-Andre ter Stegen on Saturday afternoon.

That is when the German goalkeeper will take up his position between the posts for the Liga clash with Las Palmas, as over 90,000 supporters look down upon him and wonder if he’s the right man for the job.

Because make no mistake, the 23-year-old is a man in the spotlight this weekend.

As revealed by Marca, Ter Stegen is just one more concession away from equalling the tally of goals he let in during the whole of last season, except in 2014/15 he played in 21 matches and in this campaign he’s only featured in six.

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The four goals that went past him in the Spanish Super Cup clash with Athletic Bilbao, the European Super Cup game against Sevilla and, most damagingly of all, the league defeat at Celta Vigo in midweek weren’t all Ter Stegen’s fault, of course.

The goalkeeper could legitimately look at his defenders for all of them and wonder just what sort of protection they were giving him, but he is the one on the front line, the picture in the newspapers and the name on the lips of supporters.

It is a far cry from his days as Barca’s “Copa Keeper” last season, when the former Borussia Moenchengladbach stopper played a key role in securing the Champions League and Copa Del Rey. Everything that has happened since then just seems to have reaffirmed the belief that the injured Claudio Bravo is by far the club’s top stopper.

Despite Las Palmas earning a 2-0 victory over Sevilla in midweek—their first win of the season—it would be a huge surprise if the combined forces of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar don’t blow away the newly promoted Canary Islanders on Saturday. Ter Stegen could be forgiven for hoping that he at least has a save or two to make, though.

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As reported by Sport, Bravo should be fit for the league clash at Sevilla next weekend, and given the current mood around the club, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Chilean was to stay in goal for the remainder of the campaign, cup games and all.

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Ter Stegen has displayed an apparent weakness when facing shots from distance during this run in the team, and given that Las Palmas aren’t all that likely to get too close to goal on Saturday, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see them test him out on that.

There are certain to be nerves on his part, but the key thing will be to ensure that those nerves don’t spread through his defence and the rest of the team, because anything other than a convincing win will be viewed as something of a catastrophe.

As the goalkeeper, Ter Stegen as the responsibility to ensure that his defence remains solid, but you just get the feeling that there is so much more at stake for him this weekend.

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If he is to ever truly regain the confidence of manager Luis Enrique and the Barcelona supporters, that will have to start here. He hasn’t kept a clean sheet all season, and this would be the perfect time to do it.

Who knows, he might end up not even touching the ball as Barca breeze to the type of dominant home win over beleaguered La Liga opponents that they have specialised in since before their goalkeeper was born. That might be what Ter Stegen wants.

An afternoon out of the spotlight surely appeals to him right now, but if he can make a save or two, get the fans back onside and remind them of just what a good young goalkeeper he is, then you suspect that everyone involved will feel like a winner.