The much-anticipated friendly match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is set to kick off early Sunday morning at 7am BST. As a member of Barcelona, Ter Stegen gave an interview to As before the match, sharing his expectations for this special match, his thoughts on the current state of the team, and his outlook for the new season.
Talking about the upcoming derby, Ter Stegen said he feels both excited and anticipating. He knows that even though it is only a friendly match, it carries a great significance for many fans and players. The intensity of last year's clash is still fresh in our minds, and while the result is not decisive, the process is enough to get people's blood pumping. Ter Stegen emphasized that although the result of the friendly is not of primary importance, the team will give their best to meet the feast in the best condition.
Ter Stegen is full of expectations for the new season's team. He mentioned that the players have shown great dedication and enthusiasm for training before the new season, and everyone is eager to start this special season in good shape - because Barcelona will return to Camp Nou, which is the holy place in the hearts of countless fans and the starting point of the team's glory and dreams.
Looking back at last season, Ter Stegen admitted that the team failed to reach the set goals, but he also paid tribute to Real Madrid's success. He mentioned that Real Madrid was very strong throughout the season, while Barcelona missed out on the La Liga title by only a narrow margin, but the team's strength and potential are still not to be underestimated.
For the new manager Frick, Ter Stegen gave high praise. He believes that Frick has brought a new soccer philosophy and way of working, especially his emphasis on physical training, so that the team's physical reserves have been significantly improved. Ter Stegen emphasized that the challenge of the new season lies in the team's need to maintain a stable competitive state in high-intensity matches, and Frick is the one who can help the team achieve this goal.
In addition, Ter Stegen talked about young player Yamal. He said that Yamal, though just starting out, has shown remarkable talent and potential. He hoped that Yamal could keep his feet on the ground and continue to work hard to improve his game, and expected him to win more honors for the team in the future.
Speaking about his role, Ter Stegen said that his language skills have helped him to a certain extent to better communicate with Frick and his teammates. But he also emphasized that he is not the only one who speaks German, and that there are many other players in the team who also have this ability. So far, Frick's message has been well communicated to every player, and everyone is confident and looking forward to the new season.
Finally, Ter Stegen also mentioned the recent situation of his teammate Roberto. He said that he had tried to contact Roberto, but for some reasons it didn't work out. He was saddened by the fact that Roberto is currently without a contract, but also believed that the summer is still long and that Roberto will be able to find a home for himself. At the same time, he also revealed that the team will vote for a new captain in two weeks, but the exact result is not yet known.
At the end of the interview, Ter Stegen also talked about his views on the Euro. He said that he was very much looking forward to representing the German national team in the Europa League, but unfortunately he was not selected for this national team list. However, he was also happy for his club mates' excellent performance in the Euros and wished them continued good results in future matches. At the same time, he also expressed his opinion on the handball incident of Cucurelia in the quarter-final match between Germany and Spain, that it was indeed a handball foul, but the referee's decision was not easy.
