DDG - it needs to be said

[Lentwood]

https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/keepers/Premier-League-Stats

Second last in % of shots saved, but 5th in % of matches that result in clean sheets. This means our defense is doing their job alright, but the goalkeeper is almost non-existent.

De Gea is not only costing us games now, he brings nothing to the team at this point. I have no idea why Henderson isn't playing. I don't want Ole to call him out in public, I just want him to drop him permanently. His performances this season overall might have cost us the chances of winning any trophies.

This is the point I have been making. If we had Alisson, Schmeichel or Ederson in goal we win that game 3/4-0 and nobody is talking about “defensive frailties”

Must be a nightmare playing infront of basically what amounts to a traffic cone with a quiff

 

[TheMagicFoolBus]

This is the point I have been making. If we had Alisson, Schmeichel or Ederson in goal we win that game 3/4-0 and nobody is talking about “defensive frailties”

Must be a nightmare playing infront of basically what amounts to a traffic cone with a quiff

Well, I think both things can be true overall. Certainly there is an element of nervousness that CBs have playing in front of a terrible GK - many Chelsea fans were making this point about Kepa last year.

That said, last year Chelsea had the 3rd best xGA in the league for the season, and right now Man United are 12th. I do think De Gea's hesitance has led to many high xG chances that should have never occurred, but at the same time there are structural defensive issues that warrant addressing.

 

[OrcaFat]

TO be fair given how shy of physical contact he appears to be I think it would be quite safe to call him one to his face?

I doubt it. But I wouldn’t be proud of it either way.

 

[Lee565]

Is it me or has ddg gone into bottler mode at the business end of the season for the past 3 seasons now?

 

[passing-wind]

The problem is who do we replace him with and can that money be used to further strengthen a weaker area.

Outside of Ter Stegen and Oblak I can't think of any top top keepers who can make an instant impact.

 

[MZX7]

De Gea might not be as good as he was 3-4 years ago BUT he was fundamentally not at fault today. Having such a shaky pair of CBs affects any GK. He just becomes anxious with the chuckle brothers v2.0 ahead of him.

As for Henderson, we saw how good he was when he fecked up that goal against Sheffield earlier in the season. It's our defense as a whole that's the problem.

(for the bolded part)

Do agree that it might be playing into his anxiety and indecisiveness to have a Tractor and a Refrigerator in front of him.

I really think Romero was unfairly kept as the second choice keeper for the last 2 seasons. A healthy rotation would've kept De Gea on his toes and maybe Sergio would've provided a kick up the ares of our CBs, something that De Gea either rarely does or does ineffectively.

I'd bring Sergio back as a starter. Based on performances, I think I trust him more than Henderson at the moment.

 

[MZX7]

The problem is who do we replace him with and can that money be used to further strengthen a weaker area.

Outside of Ter Stegen and Oblak I can't think of any top top keepers who can make an instant impact.

I think Romero would be a great keeper to have in rotation with De Gea.

 

[slyadams]

DDG was shaky as hell for us for about a year before coming good. Henderson had two outstanding seasons at Sheffield United and a couple of do moments for us and suddenly he doesn’t deserve a go?

I said in the summer DDG hasn’t warranted his place and Henderson should be given a run and nothing has changed for me.

If Henderson isn’t good enough to start when DDG is having such a bad season, then sell him and look elsewhere.

 

[Gonçalo Motta]

Dunno what happened with him. He went from being one of the best goalkeepers in the world to a liability.

He is still pretty good on his day, but his confidence seems to be gone most of the time.

 

[Son]

I’ve always been a big fan of De Gea for me one of our best players ever at his peak but I honestly can’t remember the time he had a truly world class performance or got MOTM...

At one point a few years back he was doing it almost weekly!

 

[Water Melon]

Who's our goalkeeper's coach? David still has got some great reflexes which is important so coaching him to command his area more is something that he can learn. Needs to be benched for now, as he's costing points.

 

[dmode]

DDG is one of those few players who have enough experience to be fully committed to the reconstruction of our team.

 

[OrcaFat]

Who's our goalkeeper's coach? David still has got some great reflexes which is important so coaching him to command his area more is something that he can learn. Needs to be benched for now, as he's costing points.

It’s too late to coach a radical change in style, analogous to coaching Fred to play more like Messi. Extreme example but I think the point holds.

 

[Bobade]

It’s too late to coach a radical change in style, analogous to coaching Fred to play more like Messi. Extreme example but I think the point holds.

It is obviously not something he can learn, or he would have done by now. He is also scared to go in for the ball where he may get hurt, in my opinion. I'm not slagging the guy for that, it doesn't make him less of a person, but it does mean that we cannot rely on him as our goalkeeper.

If we had pacy, quick defenders maybe it wouldn't matter so much. But with a fairly slow defence, we need a keeper not shy to come off the line, own his area and claim the ball. Instead we have a good shot stopper who rarely comes a metre off his line.

In my opinion, it is change the defence, or change the keeper. I like our defence more than I like our keeper, and it is easier to change one player than 2 or more. So for me, we need to give Henderson a run. Maybe he isn't good enough, but we need to find out. I am a Romero fan and would have given him a run a while ago to be honest, but that ship has sailed.

 

[ash_86]

No doubt that he's regressed. Bring in a more commanding keeper and overnight our defense would look 2x better.

 

[Water Melon]

It’s too late to coach a radical change in style, analogous to coaching Fred to play more like Messi. Extreme example but I think the point holds.

I do think it can be coached. DDG will hardly ever turn into an Oliver Kahn, but some steps towards turning into a VdS can be taken.

 

[Jed I. Knight]

Not good enough.

We were always going to regret that contract extension, and many of us said as much back when it was handed to him.

 

[midnightmare]

DDG is one of those few players who have enough experience to be fully committed to the reconstruction of our team.

There's a very valid old adage that covers this. Something about teaching old dogs new tricks. It's true and holds here too. If this was something he could learn, he'd have done so by now. Also, No.1 keeper for Man United is not a position that should be occupied by a guy that's now having to be coached on a very fundamental aspect of goalkeeping itself. This isn't an internship position, after all.

I really think it's high time Ole gave an extended run to Henderson. DdG's reflexes aren't exactly going to improve. Lord help us if he's still in goal for us when those also decline - as they inevitably will...and soon, given his age.

 

[romufc]

Henderson needs a run of games now. DDG has been costing us goals in the last 4/5 games. With a weak defence, you cannot have a weak keeper.

 

[Chaky_Best]

Clearly at fault on first one and set tone of a poor 10-15 mins in second half, but how can he be judge as guilty on the third one ?

Succession of poor mistakes in the last 10 seconds of the game.

1. Ole should have played Matic in the last 5-10 minutes in order to counter the 4-2-4 that Ancelotti played at the end
2. Ole shouldn't have moved AWB as RW and shouldn't have to change the shape of his defense.
3. Tuanzebe came for headers, should have been played in midfield or RW.
4. Tuanzebe poor foul and booked
5. Keane won the header between AWB and Shaw (one of their tallest guy... what his the man marking there?)
6. Calvert Lewin quicker to react than Tuanzebe and Lindelof, once again was between them
7. Finally De Gea not quick enough to come out.

Issue is Ole's no reacting quick enough to Ancelotti's changes and our weakness on set pieces with a poor zonal marking.

I am a fan of De Gea, but Henderson is worse than him. David is not the same GK as before the last World cup, but still is our best option there. Nevertheless he costed us the first goal and the bad spell, but we should not point finger at him ONLY, Ole's the guilty there.

 

[Poborsky's hair]

His biggest strength apart his cat reflexes was his consistency and that he was pretty much reliable not making any mistakes, now he seems error prone from time to time when he lets us down way too often which is already taking away one of his biggest strength. When you see some keepers that pull out world class saves after saves against us you have to wonder if they did any wrong instead of DDG. I mean theres way more pressure but you can´t make an error every 5 games or so which cost you the game.

Dean henderson needs to get a run of games, if he plays one in 10 it´s difficult to get any kind of confidence and form. If he fails to impress we can just rotate them more regularly depending on form but this DDG is untouchable shite is driving me crazy now. He´s living of his past glory.

 

[Judas]

Think it's baffling to see people blame the CB's for De Gea's flaws that he's shown in front of every CB pairing he's ever played behind.

 

[rotherham_red]

I gave him the benefit of the doubt at every turn these last couple of seasons. He ultimately cost us Top 4 in the game against Chelsea in 18/19. He cost us an FA Cup final shot last season and he cost us our place in Europe this season (though for that, more blame was rightly put on the team and tactics overall) and I still backed him after all those mistakes.

Saturday however, was the breaking point for me. As much as I love him, we just simply can't hang on to a keeper who has now been good for game costly mistakes 2-3 times per season for the last 3 seasons. It's really bad luck because he stuck with us when we were at our lowest ebb (and while that may have been more down to individual circumstances rather than loyalty) and was often times the only respectable element of our team, but like they say, time waits for no man.

I don't think this will be a Sanchez-like situation because I do feel that there is a top keeper in there still, but maybe one that needs to be protected by a style of play that isn't as physically demanding, and I do feel that deep down if push came to shove, he would want to play above getting paid. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit on that front, but considering what he's done for us, it's credit that's been earned IMO.

 

[bsCallout]

The problem is who do we replace him with and can that money be used to further strengthen a weaker area.

Outside of Ter Stegen and Oblak I can't think of any top top keepers who can make an instant impact.

You put Henderson in to prove his worth until the end of the season. If he isn't good enough then at least you have two GKs for sale to raise funds.

 

[bsCallout]

Never thought I'd come to hate DDG.

Before this season I defended him non-stop but he has cost us at big moments for 3 seasons now.

 

[NinjaZombie]

I don't think he is "shiftable" .. Not too many clubs can take on that kind of hit on their wage bill.
He was given a ridiculous contract that was never deserved and now it's a problem.

The story of Ed Woodward's reign at United.

 

[RashfordisRed]

This is not a case of the odd mistake, or saving us in a couple of matches and then making a mistake which costs us some points - probably like Alisson or you could say Ederson (his pass to Scott pre lockdown).

Just this season off the top of my head I can remember the following:

• RB Leipzig (a) - a goal that could have cost us a place in the last 16 - you can call it whatever you want to, communication, lack of command in the area or bravery
• Leicester (a) - harsh maybe, but for someone who it is unanimous keeps his place due to shot stopping, he really should have been able to save Barnes shot
• Sheff Utd (h) - the first goal, the weakness in complaints to the referee. Part of me thinks if he had been upfront and aggressive in his appeal for the foul (somewhat like the VVD goal last year) we may have had some joy. The defending was atrocious for the second goal, but DDG had a chance to just fix it with a proper clearance, he made a howler in passing it into trouble and tbh that has not even got its due criticism
• Everton (h) - Goals 1 and 3, some bravery and some command and we get what the team performance deserved

If you add to this, last year the 2 x Everton goals (at OT and Goodison), the semi-final performance it is becoming way too often and costing us a lot more than he is saving.

With Dean Henderson, I agree he may not be ready or he has a mistake in him - however, Chelsea were after him, look at the difference in Sheff Utd's defence this year. A strong goalkeeper presence can not be overstated. When you bring in a keeper for the odd game, lack of match practice etc they are more likely to make a mistake - he can only be judged appropriately after a consistent run in the team.

He is a United fan, for those that have not seen it - take a look at the celebration for Marcus's first goal for Utd where he is in the stands. He for sure has a presence, and can develop into a leader. He fits our new transfer model, of up and coming British players.

Ultimately, if you take a look at the points dropped this season, I don't think we would be any worse off, and potentially better off with him in goal so no harm in trying although I dread the media clamour it will bring.

At this stage, we may be in some good timing, he was going to play tomorrow regardless, and probably next week in the EL too. If he has a good game tomorrow, OGS should let him stay in the team vs WBA (whose largest threat will be from set pieces) and then the game at Sociedad. After 3 games, we can take a call if DDG comes back vs Newcastle but if he performs as we hope he could continue and DDG would not be able to have any justified complaints.

 

[That'sHernandez]

Dunno what happened with him. He went from being one of the best goalkeepers in the world to a liability.

He is still pretty good on his day, but his confidence seems to be gone most of the time.

Everton's third goal wasn't a lack of confidence, it was a lack of courage.

I do think it can be coached. DDG will hardly ever turn into an Oliver Kahn, but some steps towards turning into a VdS can be taken.

You can't teach a person to be more courageous. You are either brave (or stupid) enough to clatter into a player and claim a 50-50, or you are not. You can be taught to hold your line more and not go in for those situations if it's not necessary but teaching someone to deny their basic instinct is at best an uphill struggle.

 

[mitchmouse]

It is obviously not something he can learn, or he would have done by now. He is also scared to go in for the ball where he may get hurt, in my opinion. I'm not slagging the guy for that, it doesn't make him less of a person, but it does mean that we cannot rely on him as our goalkeeper.

If we had pacy, quick defenders maybe it wouldn't matter so much. But with a fairly slow defence, we need a keeper not shy to come off the line, own his area and claim the ball. Instead we have a good shot stopper who rarely comes a metre off his line.

In my opinion, it is change the defence, or change the keeper. I like our defence more than I like our keeper, and it is easier to change one player than 2 or more. So for me, we need to give Henderson a run. Maybe he isn't good enough, but we need to find out. I am a Romero fan and would have given him a run a while ago to be honest, but that ship has sailed.

The thing I've always said about Romero is he's not flashy, will never be a Gordon Banks, Manuel Neuer or Peter Schmeichel but he is a very safe in a storm. He not make the worldie of a save that secures the points in a big game but will make very good saves and very few mistakes - which gives you more over time. before the season started, I said he and Henderson should be one and two (the order to be decided)

 

[That'sHernandez]

The thing I've always said about Romero is he's not flashy, will never be a Gordon Banks, Manuel Neuer or Peter Schmeichel but he is a very safe in a storm. He not make the worldie of a save that secures the points in a big game but will make very good saves and very few mistakes - which gives you more over time. before the season started, I said he and Henderson should be one and two (the order to be decided)

Not a chance. Romero makes as many, if not more mistakes than DDG. The difference is he doesn't get the minutes for you to be able to see it over a long period of time.

 

[mitchmouse]

Not a chance. Romero makes as many, if not more mistakes than DDG. The difference is he doesn't get the minutes for you to be able to see it over a long period of time.

some evidence would be nice: I only recall one major error (can't even remember when or where although it did cost us a goal)

 

[That'sHernandez]

some evidence would be nice: I only recall one major error (can't even remember when or where although it did cost us a goal)

I can't think of any off the top of my head, but there were plenty of goals a better keeper would have stopped. Diving late is one of his specialties. DDG's contract isn't the only reason he has got complacent in his position, he hasn't been pushed for it since Lindegaard, 5 years ago.

 

[Judas]

The myth of Romero is a funny one. He's always looked a bit ropey when he's been fortunate enough to get a run of games. Good cup keeper.

 

[Borys]

The myth of Romero is a funny one. He's always looked a bit ropey when he's been fortunate enough to get a run of games. Good cup keeper.

Not that I disagree, but that's to be expected for any GK who isn't a regular first team player. That's why nobody rotates keepers.

 

[Judas]

Not that I disagree, but that's to be expected for any GK who isn't a regular first team player. That's why nobody rotates keepers.

True, but he comes in and looks solid for the odd game in isolation better than many others would which is a credit to him. Henderson would look better than he has done if he got a proper run of games. If he's the long term answer, jury is without a doubt still out, but he deserves his chance.

 

[Alfie092]

If we genuinely think we will not win the league and get top 4 at best, then why don't we give Henderson a shot as being our number 1 till the end of the season at least?

Even though I still think DDG is the better keeper, he has been so dodgy this season that surely Henderson can't be worse! Even if he is worse, it would be marginal that Henderson alone won't cost us a top 4 spot.

 

[Borys]

True, but he comes in and looks solid for the odd game in isolation better than many others would which is a credit to him. Henderson would look better than he has done if he got a proper run of games. If he's the long term answer, jury is without a doubt still out, but he deserves his chance.

That's exactly how I see it. Surely Henderson is a better keeper than he's shown in a few performances for us this season, at least that's what I've heard so why not give him regular chances?

 

[PJS007]

This is the point I have been making. If we had Alisson, Schmeichel or Ederson in goal we win that game 3/4-0 and nobody is talking about “defensive frailties”

Must be a nightmare playing infront of basically what amounts to a traffic cone with a quiff

Glad you've mentioned Schmeichel junior i think we should put a cheeky bid in for him. I'm sure he'd love to finish his career at United

 

[OrcaFat]

Glad you've mentioned Schmeichel junior i think we should put a cheeky bid in for him. I'm sure he'd love to finish his career at United

Yeah I’m fully into getting Schmeichel. Think he would cost about £10 mil (to us, £6 mil to anyone else).

 

[croadyman]

Glad you've mentioned Schmeichel junior i think we should put a cheeky bid in for him. I'm sure he'd love to finish his career at United

Leicester will rinse us yet again