Does Ole have it in him to drop De Gea for the last 2 PL games?

Mr Smith

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As I said a bunch of times already. I don't think.he knows there's more the 13 players in the squad. He doesn't rotate these days.
I think it's pretty clear he doesn't rate the players beyond the 13; he played them plenty before the break. Those fringe players haven't done a great deal to justify places since the restart.

I'm not sure if there's much to be achieved with dropping De Gea for the final two games. I'd play De Gea for those, and then give Romero an audition in the Europa League, and reassess for next season.
 

NK86

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Every keeper has potentially a mistake in him in every match, that is one of the ways goals are scored.
Let us see how he performs in his last two games as Ole will not be dropping him.
It's like saying every striker has a chance to miss sitters every match. However you don't play one who has shown consistently that he is doing it frequently.
 

Fortitude

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It's like the worse time for this to happen. If I were Ole I would look at:

1) Ascertain DDG mindset
2) Speak to the players about whether they feel confident having him in goal for these last two matches

Ole also has to think of is it fair to the other players who have been working their arses off to get us within touching distance of too 4, to put DDG needs over them achieving top 4.
He also has to think of the wider implications for the club - losing sponsorship money from Adidas as we would be two seasons without CL. This impacts a lot of things, but mostly would we have to make cuts to our non football staff.

In short, it's a huge huge decision. He will need help to assess David's psychological state especially with all the bad headlines and publicity.

I really hope we can get through this somehow, but it's not easy at all.
Good post, Jazz.

There is so much more at stake than simply playing against the top calibre teams again. The financial implications for failure are enormous as well as our ability to lure top-end talent. We already pay a premium - you don't want No CL Tax on top of that.
 

Bondi77

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It's like saying every striker has a chance to miss sitters every match. However you don't play one who has shown consistently that he is doing it frequently.
I think that De Gea has enough credit in the bank not to be dropped and if I am given the choice of De Gea or Romero in two big pressure games I take De Gea every day of the week.
 

NK86

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I think that De Gea has enough credit in the bank not to be dropped and if I am given the choice of De Gea or Romero in two big pressure games I take De Gea every day of the week.
You are entitled to your choice. The issue is DDG has shown a downward curve steadily over the last 2 seasons. It started similarly for Rooney and we all stuck because he had "credit in the bank". However it seems more than just a case of loss of form from DDG, seems more like a steady decline in his abilities.

We may stick with him and he may cost us just like he did towards the end of last season or we can turn to Romero who has not really let us down so far. And Romero has played in more high pressure matches than DDG and has done well in them in United and Argentina colours.
 

Jazz

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Good post. Confidence is a huge thing for a footballer, and even more so for goalkeepers and strikers. Ole has to judge for himself how De Gea’s confidence and mental state is.
Yeah I think it should hinge on that. I'm in no doubt he shouldn't start for us in Europa and next season, but it's these last two games where we have a big problem of should he start or not. It has such massive implications for the club if we fail in these two games, that I don't envy Ole being in this position.

Best to make the decision on his mental state and how comfortable his team mates feel. Then we pray :D
 

Caesar2290

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And the rest?

What of Bruno? Fred? Periera? Dalot?

It's Ole's way of handling things and I'm applying the same logic to it.

One thing Ole shouldn't be questioned on is his man management skills to date, he's done a very good job of it thus far.
Yeah, can you imagine Bruno who Ole described as a person who isn't satisfied with putting in 99% and always giving 100% will get pissed if the manager is going to drop an under performing player for the last 2 do or die games of the season. Yeah, he sure must be pissed.

Have you ever been around top performers?

I have. And I can tell you that the moment you consistently aren't pulling your weight, they will let you know. If you perform, they will be your best friends, but the moment you drop the ball the knives are out.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Given his claims he’ll be ruthless with competition in attack I don’t see how he can back any of DDG or the Step Brotgers at CB.

A lack of fit/available options at CB makes dropping them unlikely but not going with Romero when DDG drops another clanger really goes against the competitive spirit he claims to want in the squad.
 

tomaldinho1

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There's no point dropping him now, particulalry when Romero wasn't that great vs Norwich last time out. DDG has sadly become error prone - it happens to all keepers now and then but I thikn it's fair to say DDG was one of the best GKs in the world pre WC 2018 and now he is a 'good' PL keeper. It is a dramatic decline.

That said, I feel this is the issue with our squad in general, we have a lot of 'good' players but very few who you would argue are amongst the best in their positions in the world. That makes us a 'good' but not great team hence why we're in Europa and struggling to get top 4.
 

Jazz

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Good post, Jazz.

There is so much more at stake than simply playing against the top calibre teams again. The financial implications for failure are enormous as well as our ability to lure top-end talent. We already pay a premium - you don't want No CL Tax on top of that.
I'm also worried for non football staff especially with the other loss of revenue we've had because of the virus. So it's a massive call.
Like I said below, we shall have to pray. I might have a nervous break down as well with the anxiety :D
 

padzilla

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Fergie dropped De Gea for Lindegaard when he first signed for the club and he responded brilliantly to that. There is actual evidence he responds well to being dropped, surely that should influence Ole's thinking, but then we don't know if Ole will get in bother with the board for sanctioning a long-term contract with world record wages for a keeper and then dropping him shortly after.
 

BenitoSTARR

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I think it would be one of the stupidest decisions a Manchester United manger could make and honestly think anyone seriously considering it an option needs to think long and hard about the repercussions of it with 2 games to go and top 4 on the line.

If you’re Solskjaer and you bench De Gea these last 2 games you commit to selling him. You are publicly making a vote of no confidence in him having backed him all season and then casting him aside at its most crucial point. You then open up an even greater media storm around De Gea’s future for the last few games and into the summer. There is no recovering from that.

Equally say Romero makes a mistake you then have the worst of both scenarios.

Back De Gea. Bear in mind how often he has pulled off the incredible and saved our arses he’s certainly built up enough credit for me to be back for two more games.

His performance in the FA Cup was poor and I won’t defend that, but it’s one thing criticising a player for mistakes that shouldn’t be made and another removing them from play.
 

Icemav

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I still believe he's the best goalkeeper in the squad. Bit of a knee-jerk reaction to an admittedly terrible game yesterday, when he's actually been quite good recently. People have a narrative and every mistake will further convince them, while they'll fail to internalise his good performances.
He hasn't been good recently. People have a narrative and every game without a blunder will further convince them, while they fail to internalize his poor performances.

We all know what DDG excels at, pulling off top corner saves, but he has a seriously bad case of the goalkeeping yips (2 years now) and it is costing us points. What he did for the 2nd goal yesterday is mind bending.

All this being said I think Ole has to start him for the last 2 PL games.
 

BenitoSTARR

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Fergie dropped De Gea for Lindegaard when he first signed for the club and he responded brilliantly to that. There is actual evidence he responds well to being dropped, surely that should influence Ole's thinking, but then we don't know if Ole will get in bother with the board for sanctioning a long-term contract with world record wages for a keeper and then dropping him shortly after.
Thing is there isn’t enough time in the season to allow him to respond.

Far better to let De Gea play PL and then Romero Europa. It gives De Gea the chance to prove himself again and Romero a chance to give De Gea something to think about going into next season.
 

Bondi77

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You are entitled to your choice. The issue is DDG has shown a downward curve steadily over the last 2 seasons. It started similarly for Rooney and we all stuck because he had "credit in the bank". However it seems more than just a case of loss of form from DDG, seems more like a steady decline in his abilities.

We may stick with him and he may cost us just like he did towards the end of last season or we can turn to Romero who has not really let us down so far. And Romero has played in more high pressure matches than DDG and has done well in them in United and Argentina colours.
And it maybe he turns it around and goes from strength to strength as for a goalkeeper he is relatively young.
The decline of Rooney was rapid and was not helped with the beer and ciggies, I don’t think David will take the same path.
We are not talking about a normal keeper here, we are talking about one of the best ever in the Premier League and I think he deserves a chance to turn it around.
 

SteveW

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And the rest?

What of Bruno? Fred? Periera? Dalot?

It's Ole's way of handling things and I'm applying the same logic to it.

One thing Ole shouldn't be questioned on is his man management skills to date, he's done a very good job of it thus far.
And what's Romero, English?? Would they not like to see him get a game? Theyd hardly be interested in getting top 4 I guess either. Such a strange line of thinking.

You think Bruno gives a shit about anything other than winning? Did he get upset with TFM played instead of friend, neighbour and countryman Dalot??? Has Rashford downed tools since Jesse got frozen out???

They aren't teenage girls on a playground. They're professional footballers who understand football is and has to be meritocratic.
 

Nas-JR

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I think it is absurd to suggest he gets dropped for the next 2 games. End of the year, we should absolutely consider Hendo but doing it for the last 2 games is adding unnecessary negative energy around the games. Just imagine how much the media will eat it up and focus on it and I do genuinely believe it will play on the players' minds.

Best thing for Ole to do is to bat it away if it gets brought up. Remind everyone that he has recorded 13 clean sheets in 19 and that he is fully confident in his number one keeper. There is no need to cause drama around the situation! Just allow the players to concentrate on the task at hand and not introduce doubts by making such a disruptive change.
 

Djemba-Djemba

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We play him in the next two league games and he'll feck things up again and cost us top 4 again.

He's a complete and utter liability.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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No he doesn’t, and it could cost us top 4.

Teams know all they need is 1 shot on target against us & it’a likely a goal.
 

acnumber9

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I’m at the stage where I think De Gea may not be the answer anymore but Romero isn’t either. I’d stick with De Gea for the last two games and then make a decision for next season. He still has the reflexes so it must be a confidence/mentality issue.
 

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The hallmarks of a good team is one that is settled to the point where we play the same starting 11 week in week out. The hallmarks of a great team is to have that plus the ability to know when to change the team. This is the first time we’ve had a settled team in years so give ole time to adjust. He got it wrong at Chelsea and has admitted his mistake. We move on from this.
 

roonster09

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Kind reminder.
He praised Lingard before the game and left him out completely from the match day squad.

I dont understand why fans take what Ole says to press seriously, he was praising Sanchez just a day or 2 before he was shipped out. I haven't see him talking bad or criticizing any player in the press.
 

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I think it would be one of the stupidest decisions a Manchester United manger could make and honestly think anyone seriously considering it an option needs to think long and hard about the repercussions of it with 2 games to go and top 4 on the line.

If you’re Solskjaer and you bench De Gea these last 2 games you commit to selling him. You are publicly making a vote of no confidence in him having backed him all season and then casting him aside at its most crucial point. You then open up an even greater media storm around De Gea’s future for the last few games and into the summer. There is no recovering from that.

Equally say Romero makes a mistake you then have the worst of both scenarios.

Back De Gea. Bear in mind how often he has pulled off the incredible and saved our arses he’s certainly built up enough credit for me to be back for two more games.

His performance in the FA Cup was poor and I won’t defend that, but it’s one thing criticising a player for mistakes that shouldn’t be made and another removing them from play.
This. Its a tough managerial decision for Ole & team but its probably the approach.
 

lilcurt

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Should be dropped but won't be dropped.

It is difficult to drop him at this point of the season as he won't really have the chance to prove himself and get back in the team. However, I think Ole should sit him down and they may decide mutually that it is best for David to sit it out. One more howler in the next couple of games and I think it becomes career defining.
 

hmchan

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He praised Lingard before the game and left him out completely from the match day squad.

I dont understand why fans take what Ole says to press seriously, he was praising Sanchez just a day or 2 before he was shipped out. I haven't see him talking bad or criticizing any player in the press.
Because it's not just what Ole said, but also what he actually did. He had been consistent in the de Gea matter. When he made howlers after howlers last season, Ole chose to stick with him (which costed us the CL spot) and decided to give him a ridiculous contract.
 

Jacky Quacky

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I don’t see the reason for not dropping him since last time we did under SAF it lit a fire under him and made him better. He’s become complacent now and not dropping him is just making our top 4 hopes worse. Admittedly I don’t think Romero is that reliable as-well but the guy was/(is?) Argentina’s main goalkeeper
 

roonster09

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Because it's not just what Ole said, but also what he actually did. He had been consistent in the de Gea matter. When he made howlers after howlers last season, Ole chose to stick with him (which costed us the CL spot) and decided to give him a ridiculous contract.
Well because he doesn't have any other alternatives, unless suddenly he starts trusting Romero to play every game.

People said same thing about Lingard, Pereira, once Bruno was signed Lingard barely makes first team squad. When you have good squad, you can drop any player. When your depth is so shit that one injury means Lingard or Pereira will play, then he can't drop anyone.
 

Terminator

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Come on. Yes he is at fault for the two goals, but we were doing nothing on the ball against Chelsea. Almost the entire team gifted Chelsea the game. Or do you seriously think that we were looking like winning apart from the two drops from De Gea.
The truth is apart from one chance, they never looked like scoring. We could always come back late into the match like against Palace. Also imagine you are a defender and your keeper does that? Huge dent to confidence and it feels so pointless.
 

Jacky Quacky

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I think it would be one of the stupidest decisions a Manchester United manger could make and honestly think anyone seriously considering it an option needs to think long and hard about the repercussions of it with 2 games to go and top 4 on the line.

If you’re Solskjaer and you bench De Gea these last 2 games you commit to selling him. You are publicly making a vote of no confidence in him having backed him all season and then casting him aside at its most crucial point. You then open up an even greater media storm around De Gea’s future for the last few games and into the summer. There is no recovering from that.

Equally say Romero makes a mistake you then have the worst of both scenarios.

Back De Gea. Bear in mind how often he has pulled off the incredible and saved our arses he’s certainly built up enough credit for me to be back for two more games.

His performance in the FA Cup was poor and I won’t defend that, but it’s one thing criticising a player for mistakes that shouldn’t be made and another removing them from play.
And what if De Gea let’s in another howler and we miss out on top 4 because of it? He would be hounded even worse
 

Falcow

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I’m at the stage where I think De Gea may not be the answer anymore but Romero isn’t either. I’d stick with De Gea for the last two games and then make a decision for next season. He still has the reflexes so it must be a confidence/mentality issue.
I agree with this. Ddg needs to be dropped however we do not have a second choice who is good enough to take over, he is fine if it is some unheard of team in Europa league but that's it. I think we have to stick with him now for last 2 games and then bring Henderson back before start of new season, try him out and see how he does.

Ddg is finished I think as an elite keeper, how much more evidence do we need, seriously.
 

-Supreme-

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Imagine Ole drop him for Romero who is also capable of making mistakes and we end up finishing outside of top 4?

Everyone will blame Ole on this one without a doubt, so I'm certain he will not make the change at this stage of the season.