According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona is set to officially announce the transfer of Wojciech Szczęsny tomorrow, who will come in as a replacement for the injured Marc-André ter Stegen. Ter Stegen has suffered a serious patellar tendon injury in his right knee and is expected to be out for several months. To fill the gap, Barcelona has agreed to bring in Szczęsny, an experienced goalkeeper. The key question is whether Szczęsny will be an adequate replacement for Ter Stegen.
A comparison of their stats over the last 365 days, based on goalkeepers in the Big 5 leagues, the Champions League, and the Europa League, offers some insights. On average per 90 minutes, Ter Stegen concedes 1.04 goals, while Szczęsny concedes fewer, with an average of 0.81. Both goalkeepers have a very similar save percentage, with Ter Stegen at 75.2% and Szczęsny at 74.7%, indicating consistent performances. Although their numbers are almost identical, Szczęsny has shown greater effectiveness in key situations, particularly when it comes to saving penalties.
In terms of involvement in play, Ter Stegen averages 41 touches per game, while Szczęsny has only 29. This difference could be important in Barcelona's system, where the goalkeeper often acts as an additional player in ball distribution. Szczęsny will likely need to adapt to a more active role in this area than he is used to.
Regarding goal kicks, Szczęsny tends to play longer, with an average length of 36.3 meters, compared to Ter Stegen’s 30 meters. While this difference in style might require some adaptation, it should not significantly impact Barcelona’s ability to build up play.
Aside from these specific differences, both goalkeepers exhibit similar characteristics in key aspects of the game. Both are effective in defense and maintaining clean sheets, with almost identical clean sheet percentages – Ter Stegen at 41.2% and Szczęsny at 41.9%.
In conclusion, while Szczęsny may not bring exactly the same style of play as Ter Stegen, his skills and experience make him a strong replacement. Their stats show that, apart from a few differences, they are quite similar in many key areas, which should help Barcelona navigate the challenges during Ter Stegen's recovery.
FCBarcelona GoalkeeperTransfer Szczesny TerStegen FootballAnalysis SportsAnalysis Big5Leagues UCL hashtagUEL GoalkeepingStats
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