Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's strength is not saving penalties. The last goal the goalkeeper conceded in La Liga came from eleven yards in the 1-1 draw against Espanyol. The statistics show that the goalkeeper has only managed to save two penalties in this competition since joining Barça in 2014.
Xavi opted to rest Ter Stegen in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey against Intercity. In his place, Inaki Pena came on in goal, as this is usually a tournament in which the less regular players are used.
Ter Stegen took the opportunity to watch the game from the stands and surely it helped him to think about what he did wrong in the last game against Espanyol. In the derby, which ended 1-1, the goal for the 'Pericos' came in the 73rd minute from the penalty spot, when Barça had been leading 1-0 since the 7th minute thanks to a goal by Marcos Alonso.
Penalties have become a nightmare for Ter Stegen because, as 'Mundo Deportivo' recalls, since he arrived at Camp Nou he has not been good at saving penalties. Quite the opposite: he has only saved two since 2014 in LaLiga. One saved from Maxi Gomez and another from Roger Marti. The German has not saved any other in the domestic tournament.
In total, Ter Stegen has been shot 40 penalties in all competitions. Of those, he has only managed to save 10. In other words, the German is only able to save 25% of the shots that come from the penalty spot.
Between now and the end of the season, Ter Stegen has work to do. If Barca are to win the title, the goalkeeper must improve his penalty-saving skills.