“I hate him more than I hate Real Madrid”, “Still living on 2015” - Fans react to watching ‘average’ Barcelona star play in 2-1 loss to Monaco
Barcelona fans have blasted Marc-Andre ter Stegen after he had a poor performance in their 2-1 loss to Monaco. The Blaugrana lost their UEFA Champions League opener at the Stade Louis-II on Thursday, September 19, and are currently 23rd in the league phase table.
Barcelona got off to the worst possible start as Eric Garcia was given a straight red card in the 10th minute for a foul on former Liverpool star Takumi Minamino. Ter Stegen made a poor pass from his own box straight to the opposition, which led to Garcia's dismissal.
The Ligue 1 outfit broke the deadlock six minutes later via Maghnes Akliouche. The 22-year-old fired a low shot past Ter Stegen - who could only watch as the effort sailed past him.
Lamine Yamal continued his impressive run of form with a brilliant goal in the 28th minute to level the scores. However, Monaco's pressure paid off in the second half, with George Ilenikhena scoring in the 71st minute to seal all three points.
Ter Stegen had some good moments as he made six saves and 19 recoveries. However, he was indirectly responsible for Garcia's sending-off and didn't look convincing in goal - especially during Monaco's goals.
One fan reacted by posting:
"I'm at a point where I hate Ter Stegen more than I hate Real Madrid."
Another fan tweeted:
"Ter Stegen is literally the downfall of Barcelona. If the board is serious they will get a new goalkeeper..he’s still living on 2015 performances. Average keeper."
Check out other reactions below:
"2 reds in the past 2 champions league games because our players would rather be sent off than leave ter stegen in a 1v1," one fan commented.
"How a club the size of Barcelona settled for a keeper as bad is Ter Stegen is beyond me," another added.
"It’s time for Ter Stegen to retire, worst gk in all of soccer rn," one fan tweeted.
"Is ter stegen is the worst player in the World?" one fan questioned.
"Marc-André ter Stegen had unmarked options to play the ball to on both his left and right. He played the ball down the middle to Eric Garcia under pressure who ultimately picked up a direct red card 11 minutes into the match," ESPN reported.
"At the very top level, you NEED your goalkeeper to bail you at at times. You need him to stand up and save you when you REALLY need it. ter Stegen saves NOTHING," another insisted.
"If you play 50 straight shots at Ter Stegen , you’ll score 52 goals," one chimed in.
How did Barcelona fare in their 2-1 UCL loss to Monaco?
Hansi Flick suffered his first loss as Barcelona manager at the hands of Monaco in their Champions League clash on Thursday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Monaco dominated possession with 56 percent of the ball, completing 363 passes with an accuracy of 84 percent. Meanwhile, the Blaugrana had 44 percent and completed 272 passes with an accuracy of 79 percent.
The French outfit took full advantage of having an extra player on the pitch and dominated in attack as well. They landed 18 shots in total with eight being on target, missing one big chance in the process with an xG of 1.20. In contrast, Barcelona mustered four shots in total with just one being on goal (xG of 0.36).