Marc-André ter Stegen standing strong after four clean sheets | OneFootball

Barcelona have staked their claim to the top spot in LaLiga after four consecutive victories to keep league rivals Atlético Madrid at bay.

While the Catalan giant is heralded for the attacking play of Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembélé among others, a stingy defence has been a hallmark of the side recently.

The last time that goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen conceded in the league was in the 77th minute against Atlético on 24 November.

Since that time Messi and his team-mates have gone on to score 14 goals including Dembélé’s late equaliser.

The former Borussia Mönchengladbach academy graduate, who played four seasons for the senior team in the Bundesliga, initially struggled after joining Barcelona. After settling into the Catalan capital, the German shot-stopper has excelled over the past two-and-a-half seasons.

The Blaugrana have employed a solid defence since drawing Atleti and have kept their opponent off the score-sheet in matches against Villarreal, Espanyol, Levante, and Celta de Vigo.

Ter Stegen has played 373 minutes in LaLiga over the past month without conceding a goal. The 26-year-old had only kept two clean sheets in the league this season prior to the month of December.

After a handful of troubling results, most notably a 4-3 loss at home to Real Betis, manager Ernesto Valverde set out to make his side harder to breakdown.

Barcelona and their German goalkeeper have the opportunity to extend their clean sheet streak when they travel to Getafe on 6 January.