What Can Borussia Mönchengladbach Fans Expect From Yann Sommer?

With the exit of Marc Andre ter Stegen to Spanish giants FC Barcelona, die Fohlen needed a replacement Torhüter for the 2014/15 season.  Borussia Mönchengladbach search ended when they signed FC Basel’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer, they bought the Swiss international for £7million and agreed a contract up until 2019, ending his seven-year spell at 'RotBlau'. The Basel number one has made a name for himself in Europe for performing superbly in the big games for Basel. One of the things to expect for Fohlen fans is that Sommer has saved sixteen penalties out of a forty-nine penalties taken. A great sign for Gladbach fans, not a good stat for Bayer Leverkusen torhüter Bernd Leno second highest penalty killer in Bundesliga history.           

Another aspect of Sommer’s game is his shot stopping and also his reflexes, his reflexes give him opportunity to keep out top corner and bottom corner shots. He can react to deflections and get fingertips on the shot.  He has many specialities in the shot-stopping department, he can save the dangerous costless kicks, the bullet headers. That’s one key skill to have when facing the clinical and potent strikers of the Bundesliga.

Gladbach fans should expect many things from the Swiss International. First of all, expect consistency from the torhüter, so far in the Swiss League he has currently gone three games without conceding but also had eight games so far in the 2013/14 season. A penalty killer will be something to expect for sure, saving sixteen of the forty-nine his Basel teammates have conceded in his seven year spell at the Swiss club.  Finally what to expect from Yann Sommer is some wonderful saves, he has pulled off some remarkable saves for Basel and Switzeland, he can stop certain goals by just tipping it around the post with his left and right hand, he can also hold shots too.

There is a five-year age difference between Sommer and his predecessor Marc-Andre ter Stegen but ter Stegen has a two inch height difference. The two goal keepers have kept numerous clean sheets in their spells at respected teams, Yann Sommer has kept one hundred and twenty four clean sheets for RotBlau and Gladbach’s current torhüter has kept eighty-nine clean sheets in the Bundesliga. Where ter Stegen likes to punch the ball, Sommer prefers to catch crosses and launch a quick counter. Both Sommer and ter Stegen both play as ‘sweeper keepers’ meaning they play off their line the majority of the game and are comfortable playing out from the backline.

In Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s three year’s at Gladbach, he has been a superb and reliable player. Making over a hundred appearances for die Fohlen, playing over nine thousand minutes during his spell. With the signing of Yann Sommer he isn’t and wont be a lost cause, he will play out his five year contract at unbelievably high standards. Won’t be long until the thousands of Borussia supports in the Borussia park terraces will sing his name.