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Life with David de Gea has all the time been filled with contradictions. He stays, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, the participant who has gained the Sir Matt Busby Participant of the Yr award essentially the most occasions (4).
On Sunday, he overtook the legendary Alex Stepney to change into the goalkeeper with essentially the most appearances within the historical past of the membership (540).
And on the finish of the season, he’s favorite to win the Premier League Golden Glove, awarded to the goalkeeper who stored essentially the most clear sheets in a season. He at present leads with 15.
He’s the world’s greatest paid goalkeeper and reportedly has already been provided a deal by United that will maintain him on this planet’s high 5 greatest paid, regardless of turning 33 later this yr.
However there has all the time been an underbelly.
Fill within the blanks:
“Manchester United goalkeeper, David de Gea, was ‘inconsolable’ after his howler noticed xxx progress to the semi-finals of the xxx League, apologising to his teammates.”
Sevilla, Europa? In reality it was Barcelona, Champions. It was April 2019 and De Gea had allowed a scuffed shot from Lionel Messi to dribble into the web.
It was additionally a month that noticed United crumble within the Premier League and let a snug cushion in fourth place slip. De Gea made errors towards Everton, Man Metropolis, Chelsea and Huddersfield City in that run-in, costing his crew 11 factors out of the ultimate 15. He was not the one perpetrator in that episode of soccer hari-kari, however he was the principle one.
2018/19 place after 29 video games. Supply: premierleague.com
2018/19 closing league desk. Supply: premierleague.com
There’s nonetheless a delusion, perpetuated by the media and pundits, that De Gea remains to be one of many world’s greatest shot stoppers and that his distribution is the one weak spot in his sport. But he has made the joint most errors resulting in a purpose (4) within the Premier League this season, and his errors are coming thick and quick once more, simply as they did in 2018/19.
This season’s Premier League desk after 29 video games. Supply: premierleague.com
If United end this season like they did that one, will probably be a catastrophe.
There have been many patches of unhealthy type from De Gea over time, however one other worrying parallel between now and the 2019 run-in was that he was then as he’s now, in the course of contract negotiations.
I wrote again then: “Bear in mind Van Gaal dropping David de Gea at the beginning of the 2015-16 season, as a result of he believed his focus was on a possible transfer to Actual Madrid? Many individuals slated Van Gaal for that call, however with contract renewal talks once more a problem now and coinciding with 4 errors within the final three video games, you must marvel, on reflection, whether or not he was proper.”
Quick ahead to June of the identical yr, and regardless of the abysmal performances that price United a spot within the Champions League semi-final and a spot within the following yr’s competitors, the Spaniard was awarded that profitable £375,000 per week, five-year contract.
As I mentioned on the time, he was given a “50% pay enhance that takes him from being the world’s highest-paid keeper to being by far the world’s highest-paid keeper”. It was brain-dead of United on the time, however loyalty for De Gea’s contributions within the glory years clouded the membership’s judgement and, effectively, the genius Ed Woodward was in cost.
And in case you’re questioning if that religion was rewarded by a newly centered, assured De Gea, the reply is that it was not, and he was making howlers once more at the beginning of 2019/20, together with one towards Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew that’s etched into the reminiscence of many a despondent United fan. One other towards Watford’s Ismaila Sarr sticks within the reminiscence for all of the improper causes.
On the nationwide stage, Spain have lengthy since disposed of De Gea’s providers as a result of they realised he was vulnerable to expensive errors, together with ones within the 2018 World Cup. His well-known howler in failing to cease a Cristiano Ronaldo shot in that competitors has gone down in folklore, he did not maintain a clear sheet within the competitors and pre-tournament third favourites Spain had been knocked out within the spherical of 16 by Russia after he failed to avoid wasting a penalty within the shootout – or the one in actual time.
Which brings us to a sure Europa League closing penalty shootout, when he failed to avoid wasting any of 11 penalties after which missed his personal.
After De Gea’s error on Sunday, Marcus Rashford was snapped wanting disdainfully at Erik ten Hag. It’s straightforward to learn his expression as “what number of extra occasions, boss?”, which in fact, won’t be what he was pondering in any respect. However, let’s face it, it’s what we’re all pondering. It’s what Freud known as “projection”.
“What number of extra occasions Boss?”
Rashford’s response and look over to 10 Hag after De Gea’s howler says all of it. pic.twitter.com/b6KZ3Ze5ep
— Marc Seymour (@mseymour84) Could 7, 2023
It’s not nice writing articles like this. It’s not a hatchet job and it’s not a witch hunt. I’m grateful for the great occasions. De Gea is just not my scapegoat for a scenario that has been caused by lack of switch funds, poor ending, accidents and suspensions and a gruelling schedule, amongst different issues.
However I would like my membership to achieve success and I can not see it being so so long as its final line of defence is so unreliable. Sufficient is sufficient the place De Gea is anxious. We’ve got been right here approach too many occasions.
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