Barcelona’s defence: One goal conceded despite personnel changes and an overworked Ter Stegen

During Barcelona’s 1-0 win at Real Mallorca on Saturday evening, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen passed 500 minutes without conceding in La Liga, the best run of the German’s eight-and-a-bit seasons at the Camp Nou.

Barca keeping another clean sheet meant that Robert Lewandowski’s superb early goal was enough for all three points, which helped them finish the weekend top of La Liga.

While Lewandowski and fellow attackers Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha have begun the season well, Barca’s defensive numbers so far in La Liga are startling. In their first seven domestic games, the only league goal they’ve conceded was to then-Real Sociedad and now-Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak back in week two.

This might seem a direct result of the club having pinpointed their defence as something that needed to improve for this season. They added four defenders in last summer’s transfer window: Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso and Hector Bellerin. A more intense pre-season than in previous years has Barca’s players fitter than before, and there is less forgiveness of mistakes either at training or during games.

Xavi has regularly spoken in public about how he wants his side to play an intense, high-pressing style which aims to make sure they play most of the game as far from Ter Stegen’s goal as possible.

“We have worked on our defence,” Xavi said in early September. “We concentrate a lot to avoid counter-attacks and play high up the pitch. We have improved defending set pieces and we play more in the opposition half, and there is competition for places, which makes everyone more focused.”

That competition for places is another clear marker of Barca’s season so far. Following the summer’s lever-funded hectic transfer activity, Xavi has more options all over the pitch. But a closer look at how Barcelona’s games have gone suggests their defence is not fully sorted yet.

Xavi’s favoured combinations in attack and midfield have become pretty clear — but not at the back.

There have been seven different defensive line-ups in their nine games across La Liga and the Champions League. That included starting with three centre-backs at Real Sociedad, with Dembele notionally a wing-back, an experiment which ended at half-time in that game.

Apart from that, Xavi has generally picked a back four, with players coming in and out. Five different players have started at centre-back: Eric Garcia, Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Kounde and Gerard Pique.

There have been three different left-backs: Jordi Alba, 18-year-old Alejandro Balde and Alonso. Five different players have started at right-back in Araujo, Kounde, Sergi Roberto, Bellerin and Balde.

At one point, it did seem that Xavi had settled on a preferred four for La Liga games — Kounde, Araujo, Garcia and Balde — but injuries to both Kounde and Araujo during September’s international break saw more changes required.

Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Alejandro Balde (left to right) appeared to have established themselves as Barcelona’s first-choice back four but Xavi has continued to tinker (Photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP via Getty Images)

Veterans Pique and Alba both returned from apparent exile on the bench to start at Mallorca on Saturday, with Christensen also preferred to Garcia. The two centre-backs were booked within 60 seconds just before half-time, both for rash challenges as they committed to win the ball inside the Mallorca half, clearly following tactical instructions.

Later in the game, more traditional backs-to-the-wall defending was required. Pique won eight aerial challenges over the 90 minutes. Mallorca still created chances to equalise but Ter Stegen saved from Antonio Sanchez and Lee Kang-in, and pulled off a superb reflex stop when Jaume Costa appeared to have equalised from close range.

“I did what I could to save that ball,” the German said afterwards. “You saw how important the save was by the end result. On a personal and collective level, there are always things to improve. I am doing everything to get to 100 per cent.”

Ter Stegen is doing as much as can really be asked. He has saved 16 of 17 shots faced in La Liga so far. His busiest game was at Sevilla in September, where he made reflex stops to deny former team-mate Ivan Rakitic and Erik Lamela. Both those saves came at 0-0 before Barca’s forwards decided that game.

The 30-year-old is clearly benefiting from his first proper summer break in three years, having been excused from Nations League action with Germany at the end of last season, and now being fully free from injury. After playing well, albeit while conceding three times, against England at Wembley last week, he told Spanish radio show El Larguero that he felt refreshed.

“The summer was good for me. I could relax and be free; above all mentally,” Ter Stegen said. “Sometimes you need to have some holidays and recharge the batteries. I’ve been able to begin this season fit and in form.”

Less relaxing this summer was Barca’s board applying pressure to Ter Stegen to renegotiate the terms of his current contract — which still has him as one of the biggest earners in the dressing room alongside Frenkie de Jong and the veterans Alba, Pique and Sergio Busquets.

Still, everyone at Camp Nou is thankful for his saves so far. Barca’s fixture list has also been a help. Their six La Liga clean sheets have come against teams among the division’s seven lowest scorers: Cadiz (one goal scored so far), Elche (two), Valladolid (six), Mallorca (six), Sevilla (seven) and Rayo (seven).

The picture is more realistic in the Champions League. In Barca’s group C opener, they thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 but the Czech outsiders created a number of opportunities, including the Jan Sykora close-range header that they conceded. At Bayern Munich in game two, Lucas Hernandez got another free header to score at a corner while Leroy Sane motored through a huge hole in the defence to seal a 2-0 win for the German giants.

So we should be wary of reading too much into Barca’s record of just one goal conceded in seven La Liga games so far. They have been relying more than they would like on Ter Stegen’s saves and Xavi still does not have a settled defence, especially after injuries to Kounde and Araujo.

Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko will again test the Barca back four in Tuesday’s Champions League game at San Siro. Also on the horizon is October 16’s Clasico at Real Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Former Barca keeper Claudio Bravo currently holds Barca’s club record for the longest unbeaten run in La Liga at 755 minutes. If Bravo’s former team-mate Ter Stegen beats that mark, maybe we can then talk about Xavi’s team really having tightened up significantly at the back.

(Top photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images)