From bottom to top: Marc-Andre ter Stegen turning things around at Barcelona

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been a curious case at Barcelona in recent years. Always regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in German football, the former Gladbach starlet has had a rough couple of years at Camp Nou.

He was even rated as one of the worst goalkeepers in La Liga last season, performing well below his usual standards. To put things in perspective, the German had a save percentage ratio of just over 70% last season, which pales in comparison to the 76% Thibaut Courtois managed in the 2021/22 campaign.

Statsbomb‘s OBV parameters, which measure the impact of the player in each action, had even rated ter Stegen as the second worst goalkeeper in La Liga last season.

However, there has been a significant shift in dynamics when it comes to ter Stegen’s performances over the past month or so.

The German international has been performing quite consistently and has helped Barcelona churn out points this season. His performances have been backed up by numbers as well, with the goalkeeper racking up an incredible save percentage rate of 92% in the four matches so far this season.

In those matches, ter Stegen has faced a total of 13 shots on target, 12 of which have been saved by the Barcelona goalkeeper, with the experienced German international keeping three clean sheets from four matches, with the latest coming against Sevilla on Saturday.

In light of his performances, the same Statsbomb OBV metrics rate ter Stegen at around +0.6, making him the best performing goalkeeper in La Liga this season.

Ter Stegen’s return to form serves as a breath of fresh air for Barcelona fans. Xavi, too, deserves a lot of the credit for sticking with the German international and helping him gain back confidence ahead of the new season.

With the former Gladbach starlet living up to his usual standards, Barcelona are in a great position to offer stiff competition to Real Madrid for the La Liga title race this season.

Stats courtesy: FbRef