Mess in the goal of Barça

Barcelona's goal is one of the positions that, at least in principle, should not provoke debate for Ronald Koeman. Marc-André Ter Stegen has been the undisputed starter for six seasons when he beat Claudio Bravo after a course in which the German was proclaimed champion of the Champions League. Since then, Barça has lived quietly in this regard until now, when the coach will have to solve a puzzle, at least at the start of the season.

The situation in the Blaugrana goal today is absolutely open. Ter Stegen is injured and is ruled out for the preseason and the first days of LaLiga after having knee surgery at the end of the season. An intervention that prevented him from going to the European Championship with Germany.

Regarding the deadline to return, there is also some controversy. The club's doctors are in favor of the German goalkeeper not being in a hurry and advised him to return in October. However, the German is obsessed with shortening the deadlines and wants to return after the first break of the competition in September.

Whether one idea or another prevails, the truth is that Barça will have to start playing official matches without their goalkeeper. The logical thing would be for Neto to act as a starter as happened last year, when Ter Stegen also started the season injured.

The problem is that Neto and Barcelona are looking for a way out for the Brazilian goalkeeper. Arrived from Valencia in an exchange with Cillessen, Neto is looking for minutes and Barcelona is looking for cash, something complicated because the goalkeeper's amortization is very high. Both parties trust that Neto will end up leaving the club, so these preseason games should serve to give minutes to Iñaki Peña (22 years old) who in recent seasons has alternated the subsidiary's goal with training with the first team. At Barça they are clear that he is a goalkeeper for the future but also that he cannot play another year in Second B (now First Federation). The idea was to give up, but the possible departure of Neto makes him a real alternative for the first team.

The option of signing an already experienced goalkeeper to be Ter Stegen's substitute seems to have been ruled out. The option of Aitor Fernández or Jordi Masip had been valued, but the puzzle seems to point to a solution with Iñaki Peña.