What an irony!
One match David de Gea made a silly mistake that cost United three points, the next match he was awarded the Golden Glove which officially confirms him as probably the best goalkeeper of this Premier League season. Interesting, isn't it? Now, de Gea always had a love-hate relationship with United fans. He's been here long enough to be held in high regard. However, that long term presence also means the fans have seen his blistering best and absolute worst.
As a United fan, I've always respected de Gea. There was a time when he was probably the only world class performing player in that squad. Undoubtedly, he single handedly saved United's season on a couple of occasions, his multiple Player Of The Year awards are just about enough proof of that. However, times have changed.
Victor Valdes was never a truly respected goalkeeper despite winning multiple Golden Glove awards at Barcelona. He wasn't the best of shot stoppers but he helped Guardiola's Barca build from the back, a role that was extremely important in setting the tone for how that uber-successful team played. Manuel Neuer took it up a notch with his sweeper-keeper role at Bayern, changing the goalkeeping narrative. Nowadays, shot stopping is no longer the singular most important criteria to rate a top class goalkeeper, being comfortable with playing the ball is firmly in the mix.
Back to de Gea, he's undoubtedly an incredible shot stopper who lives and dies in the 18 yard box. Anything outside that perimeter with de Gea, he is definitely courting trouble. With his mammoth £375,000 per week contract about to end, will it be reasonable to stick with him despite this deficiency?
While watching United against Wolves yesterday, I couldn't stop comparing this team to that of Solksjær - and that wasn't because the Norwegian was in attendance, no. What prompted that comparison was how comfortable Wolves were at Old Trafford. Of course, United had about 24 shots or so but Wolves had more of the ball, and they are one of the many teams to have achieved that this season. The hallmark of a top team is dominance. But how will a team dominate an opponent when they can't even bypass the first layer of press?
Has anyone ever wondered why the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Newcastle, Brentford (all away), and Brighton (twice) brutally dominated Man United? These teams don't give an inch, their attackers press relentlessly. So how come the likes of City always dominate these same opponents? Of course City can pass the ball a lot more than most, but they also have Ederson who sometimes do make more passes and have more touches of the ball than outfield players.
When the Brazilian was brought in to replace Joe Hart, all hell broke loose. Today, he's kept a lot of people quiet. He's not done that with his outstanding saves, no; he's done that by playing a crucial role in the Guardiola system that enables the team to bypass opposition press with his range of passes. His teammates trust him with the ball and will always pass to him instead of forcing a wrong pass that will get them in trouble. Alisson has done a lot of that for Liverpool too, popping up with attack inducing passes on several occasions. De Gea? The dude stays in his box 18 even when the last defender is high up in the opposition half.
It's no coincidence that de Gea sits on the eight position for most passing statistics for EPL goalkeepers this season. Without mincing words, passing the ball is not one of David de Gea's many strengths. In the current age where a goalkeeper is required to be adept at passing the ball, what do we do with de Gea? Earning £375,000, he tops the weekly wage for goalkeepers in the world. Is he worth that incredible outlay despite his deficiency?
Against Sevilla, he chose to pass the ball to a pressured Maguire who duly lost the ball and handed the Andalusians the initiative. He did exactly the same thing against Brentford when he passed to a tightly marked Eriksen when he should've gone for a long pass. I won't even discuss his weakness in coming for crosses and not being commanding in his box. As far as I'm concerned, de Gea should be allowed to go. If the team needs to play the way Ten Hag wants, a more progressive goalkeeper is needed. David Raya of Brentford has passed the ball more than any EPL goalie this season. I won't be surprised if he's looked at. As for Dean Henderson, he's a lot worse than de Gea.
In all, the club will decide what they want with de Gea. Ten Hag has shown support for him in his difficult moments. The fear of going in search of another safe hand that may end up worse than de Gea, leading to several years in search of a reliable goalkeeper may force United to stick with him. Afterall, the devil we know is better than the angel we don't. Can the old dog learn new tricks? Can de Gea improve his passing and involvement in games? In all fairness, he tried to but the mistakes he's made whenever he attempted to do more of playing had him withdrawn to his shell. If he is to stay beyond this season, he needs to help the team a lot more. The team needs him to play more!
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