Xavi praises ter Stegen after Klopp's debut because we almost lost

In the Amsterdam stadium the fans' howls echoed as the friendly against Germany ended in a 1-1 draw. The Dutch coach Xavi, who like Jürgen Klopp celebrated his debut, praised in the aftermath the German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for his outstanding performance.

Xavi praises ter Stegen after Klopp debut

After the draw against Germany (1:1) Xavi said: “What a great performance, Ter. I’m very happy with how you fought back. You are truly a fighter.” He added: “We almost would have lost because of you.” The former Barca coach thus highlighted the importance of the German goalkeeper.

The 34-year-old ter Stegen made nine saves in 90 minutes and was decisive in preventing the Oranje from leaving the pitch as winners. He shone on the line four times, before being powerless against the late equaliser by Cody Gakpo.

Statistically the Dutch eleven recorded an Expected Goals value of well over three, while the DFB team reached the maximum with a single goal. These figures underline how important ter Stegen’s saves were for the German result.

Xavi and Klopp clash in Nations League debut as the game ends level

Nevertheless ter Stegen showed uncertainties: during the most dangerous corners of Xavi’s team he revealed problems in box control, and two potential goals from Dutch fouls were not counted. In addition, he made a hair‑raising passing error in the 42nd minute, when he played Cody Gakpo into his own feet.

Ter Stegen – Number one for Klopp?

The question whether ter Stegen is now Klopp’s number one remains open. After Klopp initially chose him as the successor to the retired Manuel Neuer, the match showed both bright and dark sides of his performance. Ter Stegen had previously been the “eternal” number two in the German goal.

Several injuries have held back ter Stegen in recent years, including a serious back injury during a loan to FC Girona. In the summer Barca reached a new loan deal with Ajax, after Hansi Flick, who had demoted ter Stegen at the start of last season, was followed by Xavi.

Klopp and Xavi’s debuts marred by Havertz and Brobbey injuries

In the second match of the XXL international break on Sunday against Greece ter Stegen is expected to stand between the posts again. Klopp’s alternatives in the “first” squad are Finn Dahmen (FC Augsburg) and Alexander Nübel (Besiktas), while Noah Atubolu (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Jonas Urbig (FC Bayern Munich) are listed in the second roster.