De Gea is one of the world’s best – but he still flatters to deceive
In the eyes of many, David De Gea is the greatest goalkeeper in the world. In the eyes of even more, he’s the best shot-stopper, if not the best all-rounder. But because of that latter description, there is an argument to suggest the Manchester United star flatters to deceive.
That’s not to say the 26-year-old isn’t clearly a supremely talented goalkeeper. He’s Manchester United and Spain’s No.1 for a reason and the journey his development has taken since first arriving at Old Trafford as a scrawny, lanky glovesman has been nothing short of metamorphic. A timid presence in the box whose unconventional technique of saving with his feet created unease has become the most calming and dependable influence in United’s defensive third – not to mention their Player of the Year for three of last four seasons.
Yet, De Gea is by no means infallible. From the start of the 2015/16 campaign he’s committed four defensive errors, three leading to goals, and while that may seem a miserly total for any goalkeeper – let alone one who makes as many saves as the Spaniard – it’s a reminder that he’s not the perfect ‘keeper we often imagine. In fact, back in December 2016, De Gea had actually let in one goal more than expected in the first half of last season according to Opta. Once again, not a gigantic margin, but not a margin you’d expect from a goalkeeper held in such universally high esteem either.
In many ways, that epitomises the argument of De Gea being overrated. You’ll hardly hear a bad word said about him from pundits, journalists and analysers, and he’s allowed to get away with mistakes that other goalkeepers – like Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet, for example – aren’t. There is a very good reason for that; it’s hard to criticise a goalkeeper who makes so many impressive saves, that clearly outweigh his number of mistakes. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact there are weaknesses in De Gea’s game too, and that he commits costly errors as well.
When you’re talking about the absolute elite level, those weaknesses and errors must be scrutinised – especially for a position that hinges on consistency. But there’s another element to the overrated argument which explains why he’s perhaps protected from criticism more than most Premier League goalkeepers. Blessed with incredible agility, speed and reflexes, De Gea’s an incredibly aesthetic goalkeeper, one the fans love to watch and the cameras love to film.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the saves he pulls off are significantly greater than those of his contemporaries. Petr Cech is one of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history, if not the greatest, yet sightings of the Arsenal No.1 hurling his body to the farthest corners of his goal in the style we associate with De Gea have been exceptionally rare down the years. Instead, the Czech international has relied on sheer size, anticipation and positioning to be in the right place at the right time. It’s less glamorous and eye-catching, but doesn’t mean it’s been any less effective.
And when compared to some of the best goalkeepers in Europe at this moment in time, the idea of style leading substance in appreciation of the United ace truly starts to stand out. Of course, De Gea plies his trade in the most competitive league as part of a United side that haven’t dominated domestically anywhere near the extent of Bayern Munich or Juventus in recent years. Since 2013, the Red Devils have endured a period of almost relentless upheaval and it’s a credit to De Gea that he’s continued to deliver consistently.
However, since the start of 2015/16 in Europe and the top flight, he’s conceded more goals per match than Manuel Neuer, Gianluigi Buffon and Jan Oblak by a notable distance, while averaging less clean sheets and perhaps most pivotally of all, less saves per goal. The statistics don’t tell us how challenging those saves are, but his return is more than one save less than Oblak’s – quite a difference in the grand scheme of European goalkeeping.
Once again, there’s no dispute De Gea is one of the world’s very best goalkeepers, belonging in the uttermost bracket. But sometimes, his natural ability to entertain blurs our ability to evaluate how effective a goalkeeper he truly is – making him stand out simply because other goalkeepers go about their business in a less stylistic fashion. The real De Gea is something slightly less than we often imagine.