What is Barcelona’s record with and without Marc-André ter Stegen?

Barcelona continued their superb start to the LaLiga season with a sixth straight victory, in which they thumped Villarreal 5-1 away from home. However, the win was overshadowed by a serious knee injury suffered by undisputed first-choice goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

What happened to ter Stegen against Villarreal?

The German was stretched off the field in tears just before half time, with early reports indicating he has suffered significant tendon damage. Although the extent of the injury has yet to be confirmed, Catalan radio station RAC1 reported he could be facing eight months on the sidelines, which would rule him out for the rest of the season.

Backup Iñaki Peña came on for the second half in Villarreal and kept a clean sheet. Like last season, he could now be set for another extended run in the team, unless Barça manage to sign a replacement. With the transfer window closed, their options are limited, but there are some on the table.

Ter Stegen missed almost three months of action in 2023/24 because of a back injury and the statistics show that Barcelona missed him badly.

Stats show ter Stegen’s importance to Barça

In the 28 LaLiga games the 32-year-old played in, La Blaugrana conceded 27 goals, an average of 0.96 per game and one every 93.3 minutes. The Germany international kept 15 clean sheets (one every 1.8 games), including six in a row shortly after his return to the team.

In ter Stegen’s eight Champions League appearances, Barcelona let in 10 goals (1.25 per game and one every 72 minutes), six of which came in the quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain. He kept only two clean sheets, in the opening two group games against Royal Antwerp and Porto.

Overall, Barça conceded 37 goals in ter Stegen’s 36 appearances, an average of 1.03 per game and one every 87.6 minutes. They kept 17 clean sheets in total, one every 2.1 games.

What was Barcelona’s record with Iñaki Peña in 2023/24?

Peña, meanwhile, played 10 LaLiga games, conceding 17 goals (1.7 per game and one every 52.9 minutes). The 25-year-old managed just two clean sheets (one every 5 games).

And it was a similar story in other competitions. The number two made seven further appearances in the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup combined, in which he let in 15 goals (2.14 per game and one every 44 minutes).

All in all, Peña conceded 32 goals in his 17 games, which is an average of 1.88 per game and one every 48.8 minutes. He managed only three clean sheets in all competitions, one every 5.7 games.

Barcelona’s drop-off without ter Stegen, with Peña

Barcelona’s win rate with ter Stegen in the side was 69.4% (71.4 in LaLiga), which dropped to 58.8% (60% in LaLiga) when Peña started. On league duty, they averaged 2.32 points per game with the German between the sticks, a figure which dropped to 2 per game when his deputy played.

Of course, Peña was not solely responsible for Barcelona’s drop-off in form, and earned praise for his performances in the first few matches after coming into the team. However, he did become more exposed as the Catalans began to struggle, and conceded four goals in defeats to Girona, Real Madrid and Athletic, and five in the home loss to Villarreal.

Ter Stegen, despite a high-profile error against Monaco in the Champions League in midweek, is undoubtedly a reassuring presence in the Barcelona defence, which the numbers confirm. But with the transfer window closed, can Hansi Flick find anyone who could replace him more effectively than Peña?