Stat attack: Numbers suggest ter Stegen has improved since Xavi became Barcelona coach

Barcelona’s fortunes have vastly improved ever since Xavi Hernandez took over the reins as the manager last November. Having been in ninth place in La Liga at the time, the Catalans find themselves sitting second in the standings.

There has been a distinct improvement in the style of play, with the Blaugrana slowly getting their identity back under the club legend’s tutelage.

Several players have upped their games as well – Pedri is looking like a world-beater with each passing game, Sergio Busquets is back at his best, and Frenkie de Jong has shown tremendous growth.

Not to forget Ousmane Dembele, who is easily playing the finest football he has since joining the club all the way back in 2017.

Another player who has shown a great degree of improvement, but seems to have gone under the radar somewhat, is goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The German international had come under a lot of criticism in the early parts of the season after a series of lacklustre displays. His future at Camp Nou had also been questioned at every step of the way, with reports claiming that Barça were ready to cash in on him.

However, ter Stegen always had the backing of his manager, Xavi, and has repaid it with a series of assured displays in goal, particularly over the last couple of months.

Indeed, according to FBRef, since the appointment of the 42-year-old as manager, ter Stegen has seen his save percentage rise from 62.5% to 70.7%.

Since Xavi’s appointment, Ter Stegen’s save percentage this season has improved from 62.5% to 70.7%.

— @fbref pic.twitter.com/B2fHl1y1gt

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 7, 2022

That is quite a steep improvement from the German international. It goes without saying that he has benefited from the defensive setup in front of him getting tighter. The likes of Gerard Pique and Ronald Araujo have been playing at a very high level for a while, which in turn has helped the goalkeeper.

At the same time, the belief and the faith that Xavi has shown in him will also have been a factor behind the improved nature of his displays. Confidence is everything for a footballer and having the manager’s backing in difficult situations can do wonders.

Furthermore, the change in the way Barcelona play under Xavi is likely to have played a part, considering how the team is giving away fewer goalscoring opportunities for opponents than in the past.

At one point, reports about Barça scouring the market for replacements for their 29-year-old had been swarming the rumour mill. Nowadays, though, there is very little noise on that front, with ter Stegen looking much more settled and confident between the sticks.