FC Barcelona had to taste their first defeat of the Hansi Flick era last Thursday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Monaco in the UEFA Champions League.
The Catalans had to play almost the entirety of this match with a numerical handicap, as Eric Garcia was shown a red card early in the game. With only ten men on the pitch, the Blaugranes found it difficult to cope with the intensity and speed of the Ligue 1 side.
Much of the blame for this red card, and the defeat in general, was put on the goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen’s shoulders, as it was a lack of communication between him and Eric Garcia that led to a Monaco attacker winning the ball high up the pitch. The defender had to make a last-minute challenge to prevent a clear opportunity on goal, and the sequence ended in a red card.
Furthermore, the German could have done better with the two shots that ended up in goals for the hosts on the night. Owing to all these mistakes, the Barcelona keeper has been in some choppy waters for the last few days.
However, as Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick, spoke to the press ahead of this side’s game against Villarreal and defended his goalkeeper for his mistakes. In this regard, the German tactician said:
“It’s one of Ter Stegen’s strengths. Not only stopping shots but also playing with the ball at his feet, which is part of our style. And this often starts with Ter Stegen. Mistakes are human. We have to learn, and we’ve analyzed it. I hope I’ve given clear instructions so it doesn’t happen again. I hope it doesn’t happen.”
Ter Stegen will certainly find some relief in these words and hopefully will be able to get over this time of adversity before the next match against Villarreal.
