Barcelona captain advised not to return to action until “100% fit” by ex-teammate

Barcelona came out victorious in their last encounter against FC Porto, but they managed to do so without their key man in goal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The German picked up a back injury in the recent international break and was forced to make an early trip back to Catalonia, having played no minutes with his national team. He has yet to feature for Barça since then, with absences against Rayo Vallecano and Porto.

Now, in a race against time, Ter Stegen is aiming to regain fitness so he can return to the lineup and guard Barcelona’s goal in the next few games, which hold a great deal of weight considering the Catalans’ league standings and the difficulty of the opposition at hand.

Former teammate chimes in with advice

Indeed, a former teammate from Borussia Monchengladbach, via Mundo Deportivo, has recommended that he take the time he needs to fully recover before returning to goal.

The player in question is Alvaro Dominguez, who claims Ter Stegen should not rush his return, and only participate when he is feeling 100 percent.

“Ter Stegen is a super professional. Back injuries have their time. I had them, and I returned at 60 percent. A goalkeeper has to return at 100 percent,” he said.

The former defender emphasized the severity of back pain and how goalkeepers are not well-equipped to play when they are not feeling comfortable.

“It is an injury that has its own time, you cannot say that you are ready in two weeks. It is not an easy injury, especially for a goalkeeper because I have played with back pain and I came back to play at 60% and a goalkeeper cannot play at 60%.

“A goalkeeper has a lot of falls and stretches and you subject your body to a brutal demand. It is a quite complicated injury,” Dominguez remarked.

Offering his own advice, the former defender stated the German should only return once he is fully healed, claiming: “My advice is to heal well and when you’re well, play again,”

Thoughts on Barcelona’s campaign

Having made his debut with Atletico Madrid, it is clear where Alvaro Dominguez’s allegiances will lie in the next game when Barcelona and Atletico lock horns.

When asked to comment on Barcelona’s chances to compete for the title, he discarded them as a contender, stating:

“I don’t see Barça competing for LaLiga, as a team I see them behind Atlético, Real Madrid, and Girona,”

Addressing Barcelona’s failure to replace Sergio Busquets with a high-profile defensive midfielder, Dominguez said:

“For me the key to Barça is in the No. 6 that cannot be found. The best version of Busquets was the best version of Barça. I am not going to despise Oriol Romeu, but he is not the player that Barça needs.”