Is David de Gea a victim of his own success?
They say that being a good person is like being a goalkeeper, no matter how many saves you make, some people will only remember the ones that you miss. But has anyone ever stopped to think what is it like to be a good person and a professional goalkeeper at the same time? Manchester United’s shot-stopper, David de Gea, has come in for some severe criticism from football pundits and fans over the last few days.
Many believe that he was at fault for the goal that Steven Bergwijn scored to give Tottenham Hotspur the lead against Manchester United on Saturday. The ‘mistake’ that led to the goal was seen as the latest chink in David de Gea’s armour.
Truth be told, the goalkeeper has been in the eye of a storm on more than one occasion this season. But as luck would have it, the latest dip in David de Gea's form has coincided with an upturn in the fortunes of Dean Henderson. The young Englishman, who is on loan from the Red Devils, has been having a stellar season in goal for Sheffield United and is tipped by many to replace David de Gea at Old Trafford next season. If some people had their way, Henderson would have replaced David de Gea immediately.
What must have been even more frustrating from the Spaniard’s point of view is how some former players have turned their back on him, with Roy Keane being the most notable case in point. The former Manchester United skipper launched a scathing attack on David de Gea and claimed that the Spaniard was the most ‘overrated goalkeeper he has ever seen’.
Keane has never been one to sugarcoat his emotions, but even by his standards, this does come as a shock to everyone who follows the game. However, there certainly is an element of truth in what Keane said.
Is David de Gea a victim of his success?
Over the last two years, there has been in a dip in David de Gea's form and the first signs of the 29-year-old's downward spiral can be traced to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he had a nightmare of a match against Portugal.
While that game is fondly remembered for Cristiano Ronaldo’s hattrick, let’s not forget that the second goal that the Portuguese skipper scored stemmed from a howler by David de Gea. In the aftermath of that game, David de Gea came in for a lot of criticism.
That game also showcased the fragile side of the Spanish international. All of a sudden, the man who could seemingly do no wrong had become more human overnight. That fateful night in Sochi has most likely scarred the former Atletico Madrid man for life and precipitated his ongoing dip in form.
David de Gea is certainly a victim of his success. He has been at Manchester United for nine years now and is the only player who is still at the club from the last time the Old Trafford club won the Premier League title in 2013. Since that title triumph, Manchester United have been consistently inconsistent with their performances on the pitch. David de Gea, however, has been the only player who has remained consistent during that period of flux.
For instance, in the seven seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, David de Gea claimed four Player of the Season Awards, including winning three in a row between 2014 and 2016. But it is quite mind-boggling how everyone seems to have forgotten all of David de Gea's achievements on the back of a few underwhelming performances this season.
Given how consistent David de Gea has been for all these years, this is the first real dip in form that he has experienced ever since he joined the club nine summers ago.
Being a good goalkeeper is like being a good person
Given the high standards that David de Gea has set for himself over the years, even the slightest dip in his form is bound to set tongues wagging, and it has certainly been the case this season. For instance, David de Gea's error against Everton will certainly be remembered for a long time to come for all the wrong reasons.
But among all the clammer calling for the Spanish custodian to be dropped, there is something that has been overlooked. In the aftermath of a mistake, David de Gea has always redeemed himself by making other important saves that are never remembered for half as long as the mistake itself. The game against Spurs provided another classic example in this regard of how thin or biased public memory can be.
David de Gea managed to make amends for his error by pulling off a one-handed save from a header by Heung-min Son. But Roy Keane conveniently overlooked that when he blasted the Manchester United man in front of millions on national television.
This has always been the case with goalkeepers at large, and one can rest assured that this will be the case even if Dean Henderson replaces David de Gea in goal for Manchester United next season.
If anything, over the years, the Spanish international has become so immune to such verbal volleys by now that he could easily give Henderson a tutorial on how to remain unmoved by such harsh criticism. For being a good goalkeeper is like being a good person, no matter how many saves you make, some people will only remember the ones that you miss.