‘I’ve given him clear orders’ - Flick reacts to Ter Stegen’s error against Monaco
The coach defended his goalkeeper
The biggest talking point from Barcelona’s first defeat of the season in their Champions League opener against Monaco was the error made by Marc-André ter Stegen in trying to play out from the back, which led to Eric García’s red card and forced Barça to play the final 80 minutes with 10 men.
The goalkeeper has been the subject of much criticism over the years and his poor performance on Thursday made those critical voices even louder, but the German’s coach is standing by him.
Hansi Flick was asked in a press conference on Saturday about Ter Stegen’s mistake, and while he acknowledged an error was made the coach still believes the goalkeeper’s ball-playing ability is a crucial piece of his system and has given Ter Stegen strong instructions to avoid such a mistake in the future.
“Playing with his feet is one of Ter Stegen’s strenghts, beyond just shot-stopping. He can have it on his feet, and that’s part of our style. It begins with Ter Stegen at the back. Errors are human. We have to learn, and we’ve analyzed it. I hope I’ve given him clear orders so it doesn’t happen again. And I hope it won’t.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo
The biggest issue in the specific play that led to Ter Stegen’s error was his hesitation in playing a pass to Eric García that was there at first, but the window to make the pass had already closed before the German finally made the decision and executed it poorly.
Flick’s “clear oders” will probably involve making those passes quicker and not being afraid to kick it long when there’s nothing there, and trusting his teammates up front to fight for the ball in the air and then the second ball on the rebound. There’s really no shame in going long when the situation calls for it.
Let’s see if Ter Stegen learns that lesson.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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