David De Gea is the best keeper Manchester United ever had
De Gea vs Van Der Sar vs Schmeichel
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I can't remember who said it, but I think it was VDS, that DDG is the best shot stopper in the world, but now he has to start making sure those shots don't happen. I think I can agree with this. Schmeichel was a leader at the back, and a rather brutal one at that. I think VDS was almost as good a leader and organiser, but not as aggressive. DDG is more vocal than he was, but there are question marks regarding his leadership at the back and organising of a defense. In my opinion, and having been a goalie myself, I think the goalie is more important than the CBs in organising a defense. The goalie sees all, and has a much greater perspective on things. Therefore, you see the best goalies as the most vocal players on the pitch, even when the team is high up the pitch. This is something I believe DDG can improve on, and has to improve on for me to put him above Schmeichel. As a shot stopper, I, reluctant almost, have to say he's even better than Schmeichel was. Needs to improve his distribution and command of the area, and be more dominant leader at the back.
For those saying VDS is not even close, then, with all due respect, I think you know too little about the role of the goalie. VDS was an expert of "just standing where the shot hit him" - he had excellent positioning, great reach, brilliant distribution, but most importantly, he guided the defense and led them expertly. Overall, I would put DDG ahead, but not by a country mile as some would argue.
For those saying VDS is not even close, then, with all due respect, I think you know too little about the role of the goalie. VDS was an expert of "just standing where the shot hit him" - he had excellent positioning, great reach, brilliant distribution, but most importantly, he guided the defense and led them expertly. Overall, I would put DDG ahead, but not by a country mile as some would argue.
When comparing these goalkeepers, one shouldn't forget that Schmeichel also had something extra to his game that the others didn't - i.e. ability to join attacks in the final seconds to help score a goal. He scored 10 goals throughout his career (Ok, most of them outside Man Utd career but still).
Also, it is important to account for "flair" in their game - as flair is something that attracts fanbase (and is thus good for a club). Both Schmeichel (with his one-hand cross catches and starfish) and de Gea (with unique leg reaction saves) are (or were) enjoyable to watch in this regard. Both of them added some new dimensions to the way the game of football can be played in between the sticks.
Van der Sar, on the contrary, was absolutely different - calm, with classic approach towards goalkeeping and great ability in the air due to his height (197) and positional sense. He was the best of the three on saving penalties, though.
End product of all three could be, let's say, comparable, but still Schmeichel and de Gea could be rated higher than VDS on flair factor (still the game of football is the game for the fans to watch, first and foremost). Also, VDS was with the team for the shortest tenure.
Now when it comes to Schmeichel vs de Gea, one also needs to account for trophies won. Certainly, Schmeichel is ahead with Euro-1992 victory with Denmark and UCL win in 1999.
One the other hand, it is undisputable that during his tenure at the club, de Gea had to play with - on average - mediocre or even worse defence and a weaker team as a whole, whereas Schmeichel had a luxury of playing with some great teammates. As such, personal contribution of de Gea towards team results is of course higher than Schmeichel's.
To sum up, still to this date Schmeichel is perhaps the first Man Utd has ever had, but with de Gea a close second. But - and it is a very important but - de Gea has time, as he is only 28 (the age Peter joined the club), and all unbelievable performances of de Gea came in a period that - for a goalkeeper - could be described as a period of experience accumulation. If David stays with the club for, say, 4 or 5 more years - being a goalie of great experience already - he will not only surpass Schmeichel with absolute certainty, but, perhaps, may also challenge Lev Yashin for the greatest ever to play in goal.
Also, it is important to account for "flair" in their game - as flair is something that attracts fanbase (and is thus good for a club). Both Schmeichel (with his one-hand cross catches and starfish) and de Gea (with unique leg reaction saves) are (or were) enjoyable to watch in this regard. Both of them added some new dimensions to the way the game of football can be played in between the sticks.
Van der Sar, on the contrary, was absolutely different - calm, with classic approach towards goalkeeping and great ability in the air due to his height (197) and positional sense. He was the best of the three on saving penalties, though.
End product of all three could be, let's say, comparable, but still Schmeichel and de Gea could be rated higher than VDS on flair factor (still the game of football is the game for the fans to watch, first and foremost). Also, VDS was with the team for the shortest tenure.
Now when it comes to Schmeichel vs de Gea, one also needs to account for trophies won. Certainly, Schmeichel is ahead with Euro-1992 victory with Denmark and UCL win in 1999.
One the other hand, it is undisputable that during his tenure at the club, de Gea had to play with - on average - mediocre or even worse defence and a weaker team as a whole, whereas Schmeichel had a luxury of playing with some great teammates. As such, personal contribution of de Gea towards team results is of course higher than Schmeichel's.
To sum up, still to this date Schmeichel is perhaps the first Man Utd has ever had, but with de Gea a close second. But - and it is a very important but - de Gea has time, as he is only 28 (the age Peter joined the club), and all unbelievable performances of de Gea came in a period that - for a goalkeeper - could be described as a period of experience accumulation. If David stays with the club for, say, 4 or 5 more years - being a goalie of great experience already - he will not only surpass Schmeichel with absolute certainty, but, perhaps, may also challenge Lev Yashin for the greatest ever to play in goal.
I still have to say Schmeichel.
As a pure goalkeeper De Gea is probably the best, but as Giggs put it 'goalkeepers win you games sometimes, and Schmeichel won more games than any goalkeeper i've ever seen'. His sheer presence put strikers off and forced the best out of the defenders ahead of him. De Gea is one man in a team of eleven players but Schmeichel made the team greater than the sum of its parts.
As a pure goalkeeper De Gea is probably the best, but as Giggs put it 'goalkeepers win you games sometimes, and Schmeichel won more games than any goalkeeper i've ever seen'. His sheer presence put strikers off and forced the best out of the defenders ahead of him. De Gea is one man in a team of eleven players but Schmeichel made the team greater than the sum of its parts.
Talent wise: ddg
Most calming presence : vds
Best leader and allrounder: schmeichel
Most calming presence : vds
Best leader and allrounder: schmeichel
Its been maybe 4 years now since he's the best in the world. I wasnt able to watch United when Smeichel was here, but i did see Edwin. My guess is DDG edges it.
Schmeichel was a great keeper as was VDS.
The thing is though that we saw them at their best.
DDG has his best years ahead of him as a keeper.
The thing is though that we saw them at their best.
DDG has his best years ahead of him as a keeper.
My favourite goalkeeping performance ever. I’m inclined towards saying De Gea is the Best But this is the one display that I can think of where a goalkeeper actually swayed a title race. Obviously Cantona got the winning goal but we could have been 3-0 down at half time if it wasn’t for Pete.
Off topic but the clip also shows what a player Roy Keane was. That tackle and the first time pass to Giggsy
That performance still is the best I've ever seen from a keeper. Won us the title in a crunch game when the pressure was on.My favourite goalkeeping performance ever. I’m inclined towards saying De Gea is the Best But this is the one display that I can think of where a goalkeeper actually swayed a title race. Obviously Cantona got the winning goal but we could have been 3-0 down at half time if it wasn’t for Pete.
Off topic but the clip also shows what a player Roy Keane was. That tackle and the first time pass to Giggsy
His distribution was worth an extra 8 points a season too.
Schmeichel was awesome and shouty and put the fear of god into both his own team mates and opposition. VDS I think would have been recognised as the best all round keeper of the three had he been here over a longer period of time (wasted at Fulham) but we should feel very lucky to have DDG. Simply brilliant shot stopper and wouldn't it be great to see him hold the premier league trophy?
Impossible question, all amazing.
Would say Edwin is probably the most underrated, he was one of the best all rounders I've ever seen but most posters usually go with DDG or Schmeichel.
Would say Edwin is probably the most underrated, he was one of the best all rounders I've ever seen but most posters usually go with DDG or Schmeichel.
Schmeichel Best all round keeper for me. Dominated his box and dominated his defenders, a great leader. Also great on crosses great shot stopper and on one on ones he scared the shit out of the attacker and won far more than he lost with his star jumps.
De Gea is a great shot stopper, probnably the best in modern day football but P.S better imo. Younger fans wont recall how good he was.
De Gea is a great shot stopper, probnably the best in modern day football but P.S better imo. Younger fans wont recall how good he was.
Can't believe I just watched a 20 minutes video of a regular goalkeeping performance because it was hyped as “my favourite goalkeeping performance ever”. Never trusting this website again, I kept waiting to see Schmeichel do something amazing. “b-b-but the magnitude of that match”, “he commanded the box”, “he was shouty”, “passion”. Eh. De Gea makes that performance look like a training session, and regularly too.
Nostalgia remains unbeaten, I guess.
Nostalgia remains unbeaten, I guess.
VDS, excellent in all departments.
De Gea, best shot stopper I’ve ever seen.
Schmeichel, dominating presence and intimidating.
All three very different, but brilliant.
De Gea, best shot stopper I’ve ever seen.
Schmeichel, dominating presence and intimidating.
All three very different, but brilliant.
Still Schmeichel for me, the massive gap in voting is a bit silly but probably reflects the age of the average Caftard nowadays
Schmeichels leadership sets him apart from DDG, also cant forget some of those ridiculous long throws that set up attacks for us
But DDG still has time to improve yet so its not inconceivable for him to surpass the Great Dane
VDS was great but we got him a bit too late for him to be considered with the other 2
Schmeichels leadership sets him apart from DDG, also cant forget some of those ridiculous long throws that set up attacks for us
But DDG still has time to improve yet so its not inconceivable for him to surpass the Great Dane
VDS was great but we got him a bit too late for him to be considered with the other 2
Schmeichel still the best for me. DDG might be a better shot stopper but Schmeichel's command of his box gave us such certainty in defence, and his distribution gave us a different option - he was almost another creative player, the amount of goals he set up.
Edwin made difficult saves look so easy. He had outrageous saves but his height and calm face made them less spectacular.
I pick Edwin > De Gea = Schmeichel. De Gea has the potential to be better than all of them in a few years though (hopefully with several trophies as well).
I pick Edwin > De Gea = Schmeichel. De Gea has the potential to be better than all of them in a few years though (hopefully with several trophies as well).
Van der Sar told Christiano Ronaldo (one of the best players ever to play this game) that he won't score against him and that he (Ronaldo) knows it. That he should ask a goalie from the reserves, because that would be better for Christiano's self confidence.
That comment alone is pure gold and puts him above the other ones. Wait..... 2 secs I know what you guys are thinking and that keeping is not about banter, but it shows with what kind a players he was training with.
That comment alone is pure gold and puts him above the other ones. Wait..... 2 secs I know what you guys are thinking and that keeping is not about banter, but it shows with what kind a players he was training with.
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Pete > Dave > Eddy
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He may have been unlucky so far but he may also be lucky enough to be here and win a few more titles providing we keep on improving.
1. Schmeichel
2. De Gea
3. Van Der Sar
2. De Gea
3. Van Der Sar
Nope the 2011 one, outside the box strike nowhere near the corner.I think you mean the 2009 final no?
If anything, if anybody is being disrespected in this thread it’s VDS not Pete. Underrated imo. I honestly don’t think there is much between the three, all have different strengths.
If we are on about CL finals, would VDS or De Gea done better with Basler’s FK from 1999? Would they have organised the wall better? Cos Pete got that one badly wrong imho (said with the utmost respect for him as a keeper still
Schmiechel for me - his presence really couldn't be overstated.
In a weird way the fact we haven’t been a great team in quite some time has allowed us to see how truly great DeGea is but the others had certain attributes that maybe make them the better keepers. Ability wise for me it’s DeGea no problem but schmeichel had that thing that Keane had and VDS was just so assured and a great calming influence.
Feel like DeGea needs to put his stamp on the team, step up and be an organiser and most importantly he needs that Champions league medal but I mean he’s still got loads of time left when he signs that contract of course.
Wasn’t VDS like DeGeas goalkeeping idol or who he wanted to emulate.
Feel like DeGea needs to put his stamp on the team, step up and be an organiser and most importantly he needs that Champions league medal but I mean he’s still got loads of time left when he signs that contract of course.
Wasn’t VDS like DeGeas goalkeeping idol or who he wanted to emulate.
Really like the positivity in this post
1. Schmeichel, 2. De Gea 3. Van der sar. But DDG has chance to challenge Schmeichel.
I saw the same poll on FB where Pete was sightly ahead of Dave but I knew United fans would see it differently
Schmeichel was immense, not in any doubt about that. However, it’s easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses at times.
Pete was very dominant in the penalty box but was prone to making more mistakes and errors of judgement than Dave. His kicking was often suspect and he didn’t have Dave’s reflexes because a) it would probably be physically impossible given the size of his frame and b) nobody does!
For me Schmeichel was the best GK of the 90s but De Gea is the best to play in the PL
Schmeichel was immense, not in any doubt about that. However, it’s easy to look back with rose-tinted glasses at times.
Pete was very dominant in the penalty box but was prone to making more mistakes and errors of judgement than Dave. His kicking was often suspect and he didn’t have Dave’s reflexes because a) it would probably be physically impossible given the size of his frame and b) nobody does!
For me Schmeichel was the best GK of the 90s but De Gea is the best to play in the PL
Peter Schmeichel : Heavy Metal
Van Der Sar : Classical
De Gea : House/electronic music
For every taste.
No jazz though. Massimo Taibi was jazz, Liverpool matches aside.
Van Der Sar : Classical
De Gea : House/electronic music
For every taste.
No jazz though. Massimo Taibi was jazz, Liverpool matches aside.
Today exemplifies why claims of De Gea being our best ever outright, are premature - he is still not strong on crosses and aerial challenges/confrontations and it's only because in the modern game you barely get much of it compared to in the past, that this issue isn't brought to the fore more often.
Of the three, he's definitely the weakest in the air - be it cross collection; battling out from crowded bodies to contest set pieces; corners; lofted balls.
Not a knock on him, but if one is objective, it cannot just be overlooked or dismissed.
Of the three, he's definitely the weakest in the air - be it cross collection; battling out from crowded bodies to contest set pieces; corners; lofted balls.
Not a knock on him, but if one is objective, it cannot just be overlooked or dismissed.
De Gea is phenomenal on shot stopping, however he is weak at coming for crosses and weak with his feet playing the ball out. That being said he is the best GK in the world right now and the 2nd best we have had.
Time is not so kind to our Dave. A mere 3 months later, the no. 1 spot must be slipping through his hand.
Schmeichel>Van Der Sar>De Gea. There is more to being a keeper then just reflexes. De Gea isn't great at distribution, that could be him not trusting CBs but other times he is still weak at it. He is not commanding and he hardly organises his defence. He isn't the bravest when charging out.
How was this a question? 
Schmeichel and VDS did everything DDG does + more.
A lot of people used the reflex argument for DDG but tend to forget just how good VDS was at reflexes. This is at 40 years of age.
Insanely good. That rushing out to stop Anelka near the corner flag at 2:55
Schmeichel and VDS did everything DDG does + more.
A lot of people used the reflex argument for DDG but tend to forget just how good VDS was at reflexes. This is at 40 years of age.
Insanely good. That rushing out to stop Anelka near the corner flag at 2:55
That clip of VDS saves demonstrates the level of bravery needed to be a proper top-class 'keeper, too - this is probably another area where De Gea falls short.
Keegan's face. Priceless.My favourite goalkeeping performance ever. I’m inclined towards saying De Gea is the Best But this is the one display that I can think of where a goalkeeper actually swayed a title race. Obviously Cantona got the winning goal but we could have been 3-0 down at half time if it wasn’t for Pete.
Off topic but the clip also shows what a player Roy Keane was. That tackle and the first time pass to Giggsy
Schmeichel and Van der Saar were different class to De Gea. I'm old enough to have seen all three play for us. It's an absolute insult to compare a limited goalkeeper like De Gea to the great Dane. Schmeichel was such a proactive keeper and a very brave one too. Edwin was also very good too.
For me the problem is probably a lack of emphasis from the coaches to improve that side of Dave's game and building a squad that likes to build from the back.
De Gea made a lot of mistakes under Fergie with crosses coming in the early years and that aspect was clearly worked on.
Now I don't know what happens at Carrington but my best guess is I don't think coaches so far have put an emphasis on improving that side of his game.
De Gea made a lot of mistakes under Fergie with crosses coming in the early years and that aspect was clearly worked on.
Now I don't know what happens at Carrington but my best guess is I don't think coaches so far have put an emphasis on improving that side of his game.
Funniest thing is, that first half performance would of had the cafe screaming for us to sell Cantona, Sharpe, Keane, both Nevilles.My favourite goalkeeping performance ever. I’m inclined towards saying De Gea is the Best But this is the one display that I can think of where a goalkeeper actually swayed a title race. Obviously Cantona got the winning goal but we could have been 3-0 down at half time if it wasn’t for Pete.
Off topic but the clip also shows what a player Roy Keane was. That tackle and the first time pass to Giggsy
Most people think we blew every single team away with swashbuckling football for twenty years, hint - we didn't!