Barcelona reached the final of the Supercopa de España on Thursday thanks to cup hero Marc-André Ter Stegen. The German goalkeeper understood Xavi’s thunderous speech.
After the first half of the extra time of the duel with Real Betis (2-2), Xavi did not make a killing pit of his heart. The coach yelled at his players, “We’re all standing still! Nobody moves. It’s a final, it’s a prize. My god, we’re all… Come on!”
Ter Stegen had no problem with Xavi’s outburst. “We needed the shouting match,” said the German after the semi-final, in which he made a name for himself with his saves during the match and during the penalty shootout.
Trainer Xavi is happy with Ter Stegen. “He’s someone who makes a difference. And he did that again in the penalty shootout. I’ve been very happy with him since I took office,” he added.
Pedri was also impressed by Ter Stegen
Pedri was also impressed by Ter Stegen. The midfielder also felt that the Man of the Match award he had received was more appropriate for the German. “He deserves it much more than I do. Thanks to his saves we are in the final,” said Pedri.
The final for the Supercopa will also be a battle between two greats under the crossbar. Pedri commented, “It’s crazy what Marc-André and Thibaut Courtois are doing. They are of a very high level and there are few keepers who can handle that level.”
Ter Stegen is also counting on a nice final battle against Real Madrid. “It will be a great final, I feel that. Courtois and I will both give everything,” the German concludes.
In an earlier interview, he also mentioned, “We made a lot of changes after that (Champions League exit against Bayern Munich in 2020). With Xavi we have learned new habits. He has a very clear philosophy. That makes it easier to get back to where we were.We’ve had some tough years. It wasn’t as if the teams of recent years couldn’t play football, but those defeats shouldn’t happen.”
