David de Gea - The Show Stopper

From Breaking Point to Show Stopper, it has been a roller-coaster of a month for David de Gea; at least in the eyes of the media.

In addition to his manager and the team-mates, some of the loyal United supporters have always backed the keeper. Bought at the start of the 2011-12 season as a £18 million replacement for the Dutchman van der Sar, de Gea has always been under scrutiny. Right from the time he stepped on to the field against rivals Manchester City, he was expected to reach the heights his predecessor had set. All these expectations without actually considering the fact that he was just 20 when he joined Manchester United.

Keepers flourish late, and to be fair, de Gea has been exceptional for a keeper at his age. It’s always difficult to hit top form right from the start in the Premier League, and more so if you’re coming from a different style of league, La Liga. His first competitive game for the Red Devils was against the noisy neighbours in the Community Shield. Although United won the game dramatically, the media focus was on the Spaniard’s mistake. A long range shot by Dzeko, which should have been an easy save, went past de Gea. In the subsequent game against West Brom, he let in a low tame shot by Shane Long, which further intensified the scrutiny. The English media have a habit of blowing things out of proportion. Errors from other keepers were overlooked, and the sole focus remained on de Gea.

However, Dave recovered soon. He put in a number of decent performances in his first season. In the game against Chelsea, he pulled out a number of outstanding saves to deny the Blues. He arguably had the best performance in a United shirt against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League. He was instrumental in keeping the score respectable by making some exceptional saves. There was no doubting his shot-stopping ability. But his lean frame meant he was never a commanding presence in the box.

He did respond well to the physical approach employed by the teams, and often lost out on corners and crosses. He never looked confident coming for crosses and often got bullied by the attackers during corners. He looked rusty quite often, even while clearing or taking kicks. The earlier criticism did affect his confidence and it could be seen from his body language. But the important thing was, the team, and especially the manager, always backed him. The save from a Mata free-kick is one of the most important ones he pulled off during that season. One that can be viewed over and over again. There were a number of noteworthy saves in the game at Stamford Bridge as well as the game against Liverpool. Despite all the flak, he ended his first season with the best saves-to-shot ratio in the Premier League.

The 2012-13 season so far has been very good. True that he’s looked a bit rusty on occasions, but overall he’s been terrific. The double save to stop Yaya Toure and David Silva being one of the highlights of the season until the Real Madrid game, of course. Dave showed his true character and quality at the Bernabeu. He denied their attack with some exceptional saves, including an unorthodox kick-save and pushing a shot from Coentrao onto the post. If not earlier, he truly did win the hearts of many with that performance. Sir Alex Ferguson rightly said, “He’s like a young kid. He wobbles, he gets up. He wobbles, he gets up. Eventually he walks. The boy is walking now.”

What the media and other critics don’t realize is that de Gea has never had a steady back four to guard him. United have always been hit with injuries at the back, and it certainly makes it difficult for the keeper. It’s not easy to adapt quickly to the physical nature of the Premier League. I personally hate comparisons, but what bothers me is that, in a season where keepers like Hart and Reina have made some calamitous errors, it’s de Gea who’s constantly in the firing line.

As a fan, it hurts to see one of your players being criticized and bashed upon in the media. What hurts even more is when your own supporters do it. I’ve admired de Gea since his Atletico days and was delighted when United signed him. I always knew he would take time to adapt and gel into the team. He has already shown tremendous signs of improvement since he first put on a United jersey. Patience and support is the key. I really want to see him do well and stamp his authority as Manchester United’s Number 1. He’s taken positive steps towards it. He has not only improved his goal-keeping ability, but as a person he’s matured a lot. He’s let go of his rash decisions and started to put a lot of thinking into his approach towards the game.

The only thing I fear is that — and it’s a known fact — he’ll not stay at United forever. There’ll be a day when he’s nurtured by United into a top-class keeper. He’ll be in his prime and that’s when he would want to go back home. Surely Madrid and Barcelona will come calling, and you really can’t blame him for not taking that opportunity. I just hope, that day doesn’t come in the next ten years or so.

It’s not often that you’re excited by a young keeper, and I don’t want this excitement to turn into disappointment. At 22, David de Gea is one for the future. He’s the current #1 for United, and will be for years to come. He’ll make mistakes, he’ll learn, he’ll improve. One thing’s for sure, he’ll never lose the faith and confidence of his supporters.

From Breaking Point to Show Stopper; people may be jumping the bandwagon here. But, with the amount of criticism he’s received, he deserves every bit of the credit he’s getting.