Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been assuming the captain’s role in the absence of Sergi Roberto and the German stopper made his voice known in the half-time team talk during Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Alaves.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the stopper gave his team an aggressive speech in the locker room after Barcelona had conceded the opening goal within 18 seconds.
“We have talked a lot these days but we ran out of words, now what matters are the facts. And this has to be seen in the second part,” he said.
The talk was really needed
The Barça locker room was brimming with tension at half-time against Alaves. After all, the unforeseen setback against Shakhtar Donetsk, a game anticipated as a straightforward qualification to the UCL round of 16 for Barcelona, forced Xavi and his squad to secure a resounding victory against Alaves.
However, their aspirations were quickly shattered when Alaves netted just 18 seconds into the game and despite their continued attempts to level the score before halftime, Barcelona failed to get any goal.
Eventually, Xavi had to employ a combination of tactical adjustments and psychological motivation during the halftime break.
However, in an unusual turn of events, it wasn’t only the coach who addressed the team during this crucial moment, as the presence of Ter Stegen was also known by the team.
What was Ter Stegen referring to?
The reason why Ter Stegen decided to step up was because he wanted the team to execute what was discussed among the players and the coaching staff in recent days.
With 45 minutes remaining and the team trailing, the focus shifted to implementing the strategies formulated during the post-defeat meetings following the Shakhtar match.
This involved improving pressing, positioning, ball transition, and attacking efficacy, while also emphasizing better communication and better support among the players.
After Barcelona’s defeat in the Champions League, Ter Stegen, alongside Robert Lewandowski, Ronald Araujo, and Ilkay Gundogan, played an active role in the group’s analysis.
Additionally, the keeper conveyed a very clear message on social media, thus it became important for him during the halftime break against Alaves to transmit the same message to the team.
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