[MadDogg]

As I said, I can not wait to get some of these 10 better GKs in the league that will improve the team so much in the build up play while also do what DDG does for us on regular. Can you please suggest who are these 10 better GKs in the league?

I'm curious, how many truly amazing saves do you think De Gea has made this season? Saves that other keepers won't make.

People still talk like he's making brilliant world-class saves that no other keeper will make week-in week-out. He hasn't done that since 17/18. There was a brief run at the start of last season where he had a bit of a resurgence, but that fell away and he was as bad in the second half of the season as he was good in the first half. And I'm talking purely shot-stopping there, the one thing that he is supposed to be good at. Not all the other basic aspects of goalkeeping that he's always been poor with.

 

[DJ_21]

I wonder who our first choice would have been right now if he got his move to madrid…

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

I wonder who our first choice would have been right now if he got his move to madrid…

That De Gea for Navas deal would have really been special for us.

 

[DJ_21]

That De Gea for Navas deal would have really been special for us.

Was he actually part of the deal then that broke down?

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Was he actually part of the deal then that broke down?

Yep was £18m + Keylor Navas for De Gea which was accepted by both parties.

https://www.skysports.com/amp/footb...and-manchester-united-agree-david-de-gea-deal

 

[Kostov]

I'm curious, how many truly amazing saves do you think De Gea has made this season? Saves that other keepers won't make.

People still talk like he's making brilliant world-class saves that no other keeper will make week-in week-out. He hasn't done that since 17/18. There was a brief run at the start of last season where he had a bit of a resurgence, but that fell away and he was as bad in the second half of the season as he was good in the first half. And I'm talking purely shot-stopping there, the one thing that he is supposed to be good at. Not all the other basic aspects of goalkeeping that he's always been poor with.

Not sure what you are aiming here. Without the statistics I am pretty sure he doesn't make many truly amazing DDG esque saves like in previous times, yet he has done some pretty good ones this year I think. He's also been pretty solid, positive and involved in the build up.

I don't think he's making brilliant world class saves that often, part of it is probably because it is not as much required because we have been much more compact with Casemiro in the spine of the team. I think this "all the other basic aspects of goalkeeping that he is poor with" is my biggest issue with some United fans. Was DDG integral part of a team winning the PL by being poor in all other basic aspects of goalkeeping? Was he one of the best GK if not the best GK in the World for a period of time by being poor in all aspects of goalkeeping and only shot stopping made him reach that?

One of the points I tried to raise is that, it will not be that easy to replace him with an evident improvement. Yes the statistic show this and that, but jeez sorry that I am not too keen to see a GK who has had 2 season of top flight football at 27 under his belt succeed him.

 

[Sylar]

If a goalkeeper can do the basics well, such as communication, controlling the six yard box and penalty area as well as claiming crosses under pressure, that would be an evident improvement.

You may not like it, but some teams can win leagues with players in positions not being world class.

Keep in mind, when we won the league last, we had many come from behind and late winners. Rvp and chicharito seemed to score many. We didn't have a great defensive record (we conceded more than any of the other three that qualified for the CL)

 

[Based Adnan]

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[Mmm-Qatarian]

If a goalkeeper can do the basics well, such as communication, controlling the six yard box and penalty area as well as claiming crosses under pressure, that would be an evident improvement.

You may not like it, but some teams can win leagues with players in positions not being world class.

Keep in mind, when we won the league last, we had many come from behind and late winners. Rvp and chicharito seemed to score many. We didn't have a great defensive record (we conceded more than any of the other three that qualified for the CL)

Arsenal this season are a prime example. Granted, they have not won the title, but they've come on leaps and bounds with Ramsdale in goal and Ramsdale is not a world class goalkeeper. He's just dependable and comfortable with the ball at his feet. I firmly believe that if we get a keeper who is at that level we'll similarly see quite a substantial improvement in our overall play.

 

[Olecurls99]

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Not sure what I'm supposed to be seeing here

 

[GueRed]

He's been a great servant for us and will go down as a club legend but I think we should move him on this summer...

This season thus far for me he hasn't improved enough off his line.

If we're going to play a proper high defensive line he needs to be dominant and sweep up much better than he is doing so.

 

[Andycoleno9]

He's been a great servant for us and will go down as a club legend but I think we should move him on this summer...

This season thus far for me he hasn't improved enough off his line.

If we're going to play a proper high defensive line he needs to be dominant and sweep up much better than he is doing so.

He is doing solid job in that this season. And he is still (again) excellent in saving shots which is main gk's job.
I don't see need for replacing him while we have other, much bigger issues to fix.

Personally i don't get that obsession with ball playing gk. City have Ederson who is great in that but can't make a bloody save. I will always rather have gk who is great in saving shots rather than gk who is average in that but is "great with the ball in his feet".

If we can buy full package (someone like Oblak or Alisson) then great. Lets replace him.

 

[Oranges038]

He is doing solid job in that this season. And he is still (again) excellent in saving shots which is main gk's job.
I don't see need for replacing him while we have other, much bigger issues to fix.

Personally i don't get that obsession with ball playing gk. City have Ederson who is great in that but can't make a bloody save. I will always rather have gk who is great in saving shots rather than gk who is average in that but is "great with the ball in his feet".

If we can buy full package (someone like Oblak or Alisson) then great. Lets replace him.

If that was his only major flaw, he might not be such a problem. He's now an average PL shot stopper at best and is amongst the worst in the league at everything else a keeper should do.

It's not an obsession to have a ball playing gk, it's all about style, if you want to press high and try to play a possession based game. Then you need a keeper who's commanding in the area, good at sweeping and good on the ball. He's none of those things.

If you want to defend deep and play longer, contest more 50/50s and have your defenders head balls out of the 6 yard box from under the keepers nose while your keeper stands on the line waiting for saves he's the perfect fit.

Still baffles me how despite scoring goals, people could see Ronaldo's overall game was a problem and conflicted with the style being implemented. But can't or just aren't willing see it at the other end of the pitch.

 

[MadDogg]

He is doing solid job in that this season. And he is still (again) excellent in saving shots which is main gk's job.
I don't see need for replacing him while we have other, much bigger issues to fix.

Personally i don't get that obsession with ball playing gk. City have Ederson who is great in that but can't make a bloody save. I will always rather have gk who is great in saving shots rather than gk who is average in that but is "great with the ball in his feet".

If we can buy full package (someone like Oblak or Alisson) then great. Lets replace him.

People keep saying that but it blatantly isn't true. He's made a small handful of truly great saves, conceded a similar amount of goals after mistakes, and a bunch of saves that any decent goalkeeper would also make but that some people seem to make out only he could. Overall he really hasn't been any better than average even in saving shots. And that's an improvement over how he's played for the majority of the previous four seasons.

It's also noticeable that the people who think he's going well also constantly make out that it's only about 'being great with his feet'. Completely ignoring all the other deficiencies in his game.

Many of the clips in the twitter feed that Based Adnan posted above are very harsh and I wish they weren't included as it dilutes the fair criticisms, but there are also many there that show just how many extra opportunities that we concede because of his limitations. Whether that's his poor passing, his refusal to act as a sweeper, his refusal to come for crosses and in general how glued he is to his line.

 

[Olecurls99]

Back to his best. Let's hope he keeps it up

 

[Erics_Collar]

Put us in needless danger today with his reluctance to catch the ball. Should have prevented the corner too.

 

[Based Adnan]

Can't think of a single case where he came off his line to claim a cross. The one that he did make contact with was on his line and he still opted to punch under no pressure.

 

[izec]

He is an embarrassment. His game consists of reflexes, in every other area he plays like a 13 year old.

 

[Gaidal]

That punch, which for him was still better than usual, really shows how much a keeper catching crosses/corners would help. They almost scored because he chose to punch. And that was not the only cross that was just a few feet from him.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Has this habit of conceding immediately as soon as he makes a big save.

 

[Sylar]

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[Adnan]

He's a rubbish goalkeeper for any coach that wants to implement a proactive attacking brand of football.

A reactive keeper and a proactive aggressive approach doesn't mix.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Has this habit of conceding immediately as soon as he makes a big save.

This is true. It's not so much he caused it or it's his fault but I do notice this pattern.

 

[Olecurls99]

Can't think of a single case where he came off his line to claim a cross. The one that he did make contact with was on his line and he still opted to punch under no pressure.

He did it at least 3 times today

 

[Olecurls99]

Put us in needless danger today with his reluctance to catch the ball. Should have prevented the corner too.

He made a great save that led to that corner. What are you on about?

Made some fantastic saves today. I don't know what people are moaning for.

 

[M Bison]

Surprised at the criticism, thought he had a good game and made a great save shortly after Casemiro got sent off.

 

[Olecurls99]

Has this habit of conceding immediately as soon as he makes a big save.

Lesser keepers just don't make the initial great save.

 

[Gomes]

Surprised at the criticism, thought he had a good game and made a great save shortly after Casemiro got sent off.

I'm not. These people are morons. It doesn't actually matter what happens in game, they are spouting the same nonsense anyway. Same in Bruno and Anthony threads.
They should keep to checking FM wonderkids lists and pretending to be scouts.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

I have been De Gea's biggest critic over the years and although I probably should have caught that one instead of punching it, he's been getting way better. He is quicker off his line to cut off passes while in the past it would have been a breakaway. He's also been better with his feet. I feel he will always struggle with crosses though. He's not about to change now unfortunately. It's not ability. It's bravery, and we can't all of a sudden make De Gea a nutter who is going to make his 6 yard box his own. With that being said, he has improved tenfold this year...

 

[NoPace]

He's like Pippo Inzaghi or Lineker or other great poachers. Overall game lacking but end of the season, he's got 17 league goals in 30 starts which isn't bad. Also reminds me of Berbatov in that he's useless as a sub and frustrating but productive enough as a forward to be okay. Real shame for him that we were so terrible at his peak. In the alternate universe where we chose Pochettino over Ten Hag in May of 2014, he would probably have had a better club career.

I do lean towards thinking he'll be replaced in the summer, Ten Hag will realize that teams are going to press us higher up next season, particularly in the Champions League (assuming we don't fall to 5th (and England gets 4 spots) or win the EL), and that the benefits of a someone who can sweep, pass and catch crosses is just a better bet overall.

 

[Longshanks]

Lesser keepers just don't make the initial great save.

Lesser GK's make the save less flamboyantly, better GK's don't have to make the save because they claim the corner then set there team of on a counter attack.

But you enjoy your Camera saves from Dave while blaming everyone else when we crumble under the slightest pressure, struggle to defend corners and get pinned it by distinctly average teams time and time again. How many different defenders and midfielders has he played behind and yet these are recurring themes from the last 10 years.

 

[Pickle85]

Lesser GK's make the save less flamboyantly, better GK's don't have to make the save because they claim the corner then set there team of on a counter attack.

But you enjoy your Camera saves from Dave while blaming everyone else when we crumble under the slightest pressure, struggle to defend corners and get pinned it by distinctly average teams time and time again. How many different defenders and midfielders has he played behind and yet these are recurring themes from the last 10 years.

What a load of rubbish. Lesser keepers don't make the save. You do realize there's a reason he's been our keeper for the last decade, right? And it's not because he's an average keeper.

 

[KjaAnd]

Some good saves today but once again, he puts us under so much pressure with his chronic fear of moving off his line and claiming a high ball. It has reached a ridiculous level and it's visible how it affects the rest of the team. A keeper should be inspire confindence not sapp them of it.

 

[JB7]

What a load of rubbish. Lesser keepers don't make the save. You do realize there's a reason he's been our keeper for the last decade, right? And it's not because he's an average keeper.

Very true to be fair, he's been considerably below average in four of the past five years.

 

[Pickle85]

Very true to be fair, he's been considerably below average in four of the past five years.

Wrong.

 

[JB7]

Wrong.

Not wrong at all. Both in terms of the eye test and the statistics.

By the way are you seriously suggesting that most goalkeepers don't make that save today? What do you think they'd do, duck out of the way?

 

[Pickle85]

Not wrong at all. Both in terms of the eye test and the statistics.

By the way are you seriously suggesting that most goalkeepers don't make that save today? What do you think they'd do, duck out of the way?

You say he's considerably below average for four of the last five years. What is average to you? You think he's been CONSIDERABLY worse than the average premier league goalkeeper? As for the save, you think it was luck?

 

[Longshanks]

What a load of rubbish. Lesser keepers don't make the save. You do realize there's a reason he's been our keeper for the last decade, right? And it's not because he's an average keeper.

It's not that good a save, you would be disappointed at this level of that goes in, it's pretty central and quite close to him. He makes it look better than it is by going for it with his opposite hand. Most keepers probably just stick a hand up and push it over the bar, some would come and claim or Punch the corner.

He has been our undisputed No1 for the last decade and let's be honest it's been a pretty wretched decade by the standards of this club. It's nothing to be proud off.

 

[Longshanks]

You say he's considerably below average for four of the last five years. What is average to you? You think he's been CONSIDERABLY worse than the average premier league goalkeeper? As for the save, you think it was luck?

He averages out just above average for shot stopping from the last 5 seasons, worst in the league for cross claiming and distinctly below average for sweeping.

So overall yes considerably worse than his peers.

 

[JB7]

You say he's considerably below average for four of the last five years. What is average to you? You think he's been CONSIDERABLY worse than the average premier league goalkeeper? As for the save, you think it was luck?

Average is a neutral PSxG of zero. Given that De Gea is a goalkeeper who adds nothing whatsoever in terms of most things goalkeepers are generally good at such as dealing with crosses, managing the game, sweeping, organising defenders in front of him, I'm sure you'll agree that you'd expect his shot stopping statistics to be significantly to the positive side of the spectrum? 18/19 minus 1.1, 19/20 minus 0.3, 20/21 minus 1.9, 21/22 plus 1.1, 22/23 minus 2.2. He's generally one of the worst two or three goalkeepers in the league for the other measurables such as sweeping and dealing with crosses. So yeah, considerably below average.

I didn't say the save was luck, no. But I wouldn't expect a Premier League goalkeeper to let a header like that in unless they were miles out of position, which he wasn't. He's positioned well and probably could even hold it but he very rarely holds anything so it's not a surprise he didn't hold it and I'm not going to criticise him for it; in reality if it goes in major questions are being asked.