Player Focus: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Gladbach)

It's safe to say that there aren't many positions in the Barcelona side that need to be strengthened, but it would appear one of them is between the sticks.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo last week linked Borussia Monchengladbach's goalkeeping ace Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a move to the Nou Camp.

The young keeper – who turned 20 just 10 days ago – has been an awesome performer in the Gladbach side which has excelled under Lucien Favre in the last 18 months or so. The Swiss coach took The Foals from certainties for relegation to Champions League football for next season – the second time he has guided a 'smaller' club to fourth after doing so with Hertha Berlin.

One of the first things that Favre did after being appointed at Borussia-Park was to install a reliable, consistent number one. Throughout the campaign, Michael Frontzeck had opted to rotate between Christian Heimeroth and Logan Bailly – the duo conceded a combined total of 61 goals in season 2010/11.

But despite being just 18, ter Stegen brought a composure to Gladbach's defence which took a settled path under Favre. The rookie keeper was an instant-hit with the Borussia fans and let in just one goal in the last four games of the campaign.

In his cameo-appearance towards the end of last season, with just six appearances in total, he was terrific, earning a WhoScored rating of 7.28, including a Man of the Match performance.

The one thing, despite his tremendous handling ability, that stood out for many is his very decent technical ability.

His importance to the Gladbach side is so under-played and his performance in January's 3-1 win over FC Bayern is a lesson to all upcoming goalkeepers. Rather than just focusing on keeping the ball out of the net, ter Stegen played almost as a sweeper with the Gladbach back-four playing a very tight offside line against the less mobile Mario Gomez.

Incredibly, ter Stegen had the highest number of touches for Gladbach that night (71) and more than half of his passes were accurate (55%). His distribution of the ball was mainly useful on Gladbach's counter-attacks, with 31 of his 42 passes being long-balls.

When FC Bayern's attacks fizzled out, ter Stegen's quick and precise passing was integral to a number of counter-attacking opportunities, giving the likes of Marco Reus, Mike Hanke and Patrick Herrmann the space to roam towards goal.

His form has been just as good in 2011/12 and he is the keeper with the highest number of touches in Europe this season (1953) and has played every single match for Favre's side in the league (34).

Ter Stegen has attempted 1208 passes this season and has a completion percentage of 74.9% - with an average of 12.4 long balls per game. The 20-year-old has an overall average of 35.5 passes each game.

One of the main strengths of his goalkeeping ability is his excellent handling from long-range efforts (81.25%), and ter Stegen is second in the league in terms of clean sheets with 15 from 34 matches.

The Foals favourite have conceded just 24 goals this season and the youngster has made 53 catches from crosses this season and a league high of 95 good high claims in total.

His link with Barcelona in midweek doesn't come as a surprise given his technical ability, and his keeping abilities of course, but it will be interesting to see what comes of this rumour.

The current number one at the Nou Camp, Victor Valdes, has played 34 league matches in La Liga with a rating of 6.65. Like ter Stegen, Valdes is strong at saving long-range efforts and has good reflexes, highlighted in WhoScored's player charateristics.

However, Valdes lacks the same technical ability as ter Stegen, with the Spaniard making just 584 passes this season. The Barca keeper has an 80.7% completion ratio but Guardiola's side are a much different breed from Gladbach.

One of the main differences between the two is their defensive style, with Barcelona opting to press high up the park and defending effectively from their front attacking trio. In comparison, Gladbach like to play deeper and with a compact midfield/defence, and ter Stegen holds an important place in the side for his sweeping ability.

Despite the interest, the encouraging thing for Gladbach fans is the lure of Champions League football, ter Stegen's commitment to the club and the sort of fee they could potentially hold out for.