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FC Barcelona: Three hopes, one fear

By Sean Maslin

VIGO, SPAIN - OCTOBER 02: Radoja of RC Celta de Vigo competes for the ball with Andrés Iniesta of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match between Real Club Celta de Vigo and Futbol Club Barcelona at the Balaidos stadium on October 02, 2016 in Vigo, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
VIGO, SPAIN - OCTOBER 02: Radoja of RC Celta de Vigo competes for the ball with Andrés Iniesta of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match between Real Club Celta de Vigo and Futbol Club Barcelona at the Balaidos stadium on October 02, 2016 in Vigo, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /
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MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 28: Marc-Andre ter Stegen of Barcelona waves to the fans after the UEFA Champions League group C match between VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach and FC Barcelona at Borussia-Park on September 28, 2016 in Moenchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Bongarts/Getty Images)
MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 28: Marc-Andre ter Stegen of Barcelona waves to the fans after the UEFA Champions League group C match between VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach and FC Barcelona at Borussia-Park on September 28, 2016 in Moenchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Hope #1: That the transition from Claudio Bravo to Marc Andre ter Stegen will be smooth.

FC Barcelona have never been afraid to remove a prominent goalkeeper. See: Valdes, Victor. So it should come as no surprise this offseason when Claudio Bravo was allowed to leave the Camp Nou for Chelsea and his role was handed to Marc Andre ter Stegen. Changing goalkeepers is never an easy situation so Barcelona supporters will be hopeful that the transition will be smooth and without any major hiccups.

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In the first seven matches the biggest difference between Bravo and ter Stegen is that Bravo had a better handle of the defense. Bravo was unquestionably one of the leaders in the defense, often shouting out orders to the back four and making small tactical changes during the match. Ter Stegen thus far has looked a bit tentative working with the likes of Javier Mascherano and Pique in making adjustments during the match.

While Mascherano and Pique are unquestionably the leaders of the defense it is imperative that defenders take into consideration what their goalkeepers are seeing. Ter Stegen is no wide-eyed rookie having made 127 appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach earlier in his career. There may be a trust factor there that needs to be ironed out as well.

The good news is that ter Stegen is malleable. He looks like a much more mature, comfortable goalkeeper than when I first covered him back in 2013 for a Germany- United States friendly. He is no longer making short mental errors and seems to have a better grasp of controlling the tempo of the match. If he can continue to build a rapport with the Barcelona back four then he will become one of the top goalkeepers in the world.

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