Wow. De Gea is much closer to Schmeichel and VDS than he is to Barthes and Howard.
Is De Gea a bigger Man Utd legend than Peter Schmeichel?
- Thread starter George Beast
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
as long as he doesn't join Man City, there's a chance.
Absolutely laughable.
VDS is not above De Gea people claiming that need their head checked.
How I loved Gary and that team.
VDS might be becoming the most overrated player on the CAF at this point. Class keeper but let's be real he hardly had anything to do during his time at United having Rio, Vidic and Evra doing most of the defending, having DDG in the same class as Barthez, Howard and Roy fecking Carroll is a new low for this place though, some people need to put down the crack pipe.
Or they've seen both play and realise that, in fact, VdS is a better keeper than DdG.
That's rubbish.
The defence played so well in front of him because he was the one organising it, something DdG can't do to save his life. He also exuded a calmness wehich spread to those players, something else which DdG can't be accused of.
No there's been an agenda on here against De Gea for a while now, a ton of recency bias as well where people seem to forget the countless games he kept us in it while minus the PK shoot out against Chelsea in the CL final I don't remember a single game where VDS kept us in games like De Gea even now seems to do on the regular.
The guy literally played with the best back four, forget back four, the best fecking side this club has seen, where he really had nothing to do in the vast majority of games yet he's on another level to De Gea, laughable, and people claim they know football on here.
A lot easier to be "calm" playing for the greatest PL manager of all time and absolute world class talents in their prime like Vidic/Rio/Evra over the gash DDG has had to put up with. I know the anti DDG agenda is fierce in here, the vultures ready to pounce on every single misplaced pass, but at the very least admit it would be 1000x easier to be a gk for United during the 05/12 era than it has been for DDG since Fergie retired, it's been like playing for two completely different clubs.
DdG has only one pro, he's a great shot-stopper.
Schmikes and VdS had that as well as commanding their area, organising their defence and taking the pressure off by coming out to collect crosses. Hence, they are rated higher.
Brilliant and underrated keeper on here. Big Pete is the best but it's very close between VDS and De Gea
He’s obviously behind Schmeichel and VDS, but de Gea has still been a great servant to the club. There would probably be more of an argument for him had we been more successful over the years, but alas, he wasn’t here at the right time.
Scheimchel was by far and a way the best Utd keeper I have seen, TBH the best keeper I have seen bar none, De Gea has had 100 more games to reach the same number of clean sheets, he still falls behind VDS for me also.... maybe it is rose tinted glasses but Schmeichel used to own his area, defenders and attacker be warned he was terrifying, and people forget those long throws, god knows how many counter attacks he started with his throwing.
DeGea has shown especially this last few weeks that when at his best he is a heck of a shot stopper, I would not say as good as Schmeichel or VDS but very close, but his distribution and more importantly for me the lack of control and authority he has in the box are his biggest weaknesses, everytime we have a cross or corner I get palpitations, and yes he may make a brilliant save from a close header but in his place Schmeichel or VDS would have already claimed the ball, and Schmeichel would have probably wanged it 60 yards upfield to Rashford.
Edit: Just watched some Schmeichel highlights for a bit of nostalgia, there a lot of saves that DeGea would not have even tried to make, or even could have, Schmeichel used to stand further forward and made a lot of reactions saves on the edge of 6 yard area, narrowing the angle the striker had available and using his incredible reflexes, because DeGea never leaves his line these shots would be past him or unsaveable from his position
DeGea has shown especially this last few weeks that when at his best he is a heck of a shot stopper, I would not say as good as Schmeichel or VDS but very close, but his distribution and more importantly for me the lack of control and authority he has in the box are his biggest weaknesses, everytime we have a cross or corner I get palpitations, and yes he may make a brilliant save from a close header but in his place Schmeichel or VDS would have already claimed the ball, and Schmeichel would have probably wanged it 60 yards upfield to Rashford.
Edit: Just watched some Schmeichel highlights for a bit of nostalgia, there a lot of saves that DeGea would not have even tried to make, or even could have, Schmeichel used to stand further forward and made a lot of reactions saves on the edge of 6 yard area, narrowing the angle the striker had available and using his incredible reflexes, because DeGea never leaves his line these shots would be past him or unsaveable from his position
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De Gea has become a legend after snubbing Avram Glazer.
He did tend to stand a few steps in front of his line which made certain saves possible (for example Bergkamp's in extra time of the 99 semi final replay against Arsenal).
It was the same with that "ground star jump" (I'm not sure how to describe it) that he loved doing to close down the angles when it came to low shots heading for the bottom corner. Against Inter Milan in the 1st leg of the 99 UCL against Inter and against Chelsea in the replay of the FA cup quarter final against Chelsea come to mind).
Ridiculous thing to say.
Why are we ranking legends? They are both United legends.
No chance. Schmeichel took us to our best ever season and was an imperious player, he was an integral part of our dominance and I have never seen a goalkeeper who could intimidate to the point where you could see attackers doubting themselves.
De Gea is brilliant at many things but he has too many weaknesses and over the years those have contributed to our poor play.
De Gea is brilliant at many things but he has too many weaknesses and over the years those have contributed to our poor play.
Take your own advice.
Van Der Sar's superior positioning, his better aerial command, and his ability to organise a defense all meant we didn't concede as many chances as that same team would have under DDG. You could make an argument that DDG was a superior shot stopper, but there many would point out that the chances and goals we concede materialise because De Gea lacks the aforementioned skills that VDS had.
Unpopular opinions:
David De Gea saves the Etoo goal in Rome in the 2009 CL final.
David De Gea comfortably saves the Messi goal at Wembley in the 2011 CL final.
Van Der Sar was a better all round keeper than DDG, far more comfortable in the air, better delivery, absolutely.
But he’s had the fortune to play for most of his United career behind the best CB pairing in the club’s history in its peak.
I don’t think that a 36-38 years old Van Der Sar would’ve done as well as De Gea did playing behind Jones, Lindelof, Maguire or Bailly.
Its obvious that De Gea had to make more world class saves for Manchester United than Van Der Sar and Schmeichel combined.
I think he was the right keeper for the club at that given period and he kept us afloat for a decent period in some very poor sides that honestly had no real business finishing 2nd in the league.
The comparisons with the likes of Barthez (I still have nightmares) or Howard are completely out of order and disrespectful imo.
David De Gea saves the Etoo goal in Rome in the 2009 CL final.
David De Gea comfortably saves the Messi goal at Wembley in the 2011 CL final.
Van Der Sar was a better all round keeper than DDG, far more comfortable in the air, better delivery, absolutely.
But he’s had the fortune to play for most of his United career behind the best CB pairing in the club’s history in its peak.
I don’t think that a 36-38 years old Van Der Sar would’ve done as well as De Gea did playing behind Jones, Lindelof, Maguire or Bailly.
Its obvious that De Gea had to make more world class saves for Manchester United than Van Der Sar and Schmeichel combined.
I think he was the right keeper for the club at that given period and he kept us afloat for a decent period in some very poor sides that honestly had no real business finishing 2nd in the league.
The comparisons with the likes of Barthez (I still have nightmares) or Howard are completely out of order and disrespectful imo.
The bolded part is very possible.
It's also possible we don't make it to the final with De Gea in goal, so that's all irrelevant looking at specific instances/saves.
Yup spot on I used to emulate my game around him.
Those 4 defenders would not have gotten away with it in front of VDS, and if they had played in front of Schmeichel he would have torn their heads off.... this is the difficulty of comparing, because VDS and Schmeichel's styles are significantly different to DeGea they would have had a massively different impact on the way the back 4 and midfield operate, it is my opinion having watched all 3 that VDS and especially Schmeichel would significantly improve the effectiveness of those defenders, like I say just an opinion, and not meant to denigrate DeGea, or say that DeGea is not a great keeper.
De Gea is the best United keeper of all time and has been for some time. He has won/saved us more points than Schmeichel & VDS put together
I’ll admit De Gea is the best pure shot stopper we’ve ever had, not the best keeper.
Think that’s about fair. He’s a United legend regardless. In fact he might just be the best shot stopper in the history of football with Casillas at his peak from the top of my head.
Both pulled off stupidly good saves often behind at times basically no defence.
Think that’s about fair. He’s a United legend regardless. In fact he might just be the best shot stopper in the history of football with Casillas at his peak from the top of my head.
Both pulled off stupidly good saves often behind at times basically no defence.
My mum.
Dont have any kids
Grandad 100% the bigger legend but my Gran is the more traditional old school grandparent
Football questions are much more complex.
Schmeichel was better.I’ll admit De Gea is the best pure shot stopper we’ve ever had, not the best keeper.
Think that’s about fair. He’s a United legend regardless. In fact he might just be the best shot stopper in the history of football with Casillas at his peak from the top of my head.
Both pulled off stupidly good saves often behind at times basically no defence.
And way better at everything else a keeper is supposed to do.
Not true at all. VDS was just better too. His save % at Fulham was around 75%, at Utd this went up to 80%.
Across all teams / squads - basic stats both VDS and Schmeichel are streets ahead of DDG. Simple check on fbref.
| Player | Squad | MP | Starts | Min | 90s | GA | GA90 | SoTA | Saves | Save% | W | D | L | CS | CS% |
| Edwin van der Sar | 3 squads | 379 | 378 | 33,733 | 375.9 | 350 | 0.93 | 1729 | 1379 | 79.8 | 207 | 86 | 84 | 168 | 44.4 |
| David de Gea | 2 squads | 458 | 458 | 41,158 | 457.3 | 512 | 1.12 | 1813 | 1310 | 73 | 242 | 107 | 109 | 155 | 33.8 |
| Peter Schmeichel | 4 squads | 310 | 310 | 27,645 | 328.6 | 284 | 0.92 | 1227 | 943 | 76.9 | 173 | 81 | 53 | 127 | 41 |
Just in the PL
| Player | Squad | MP | Starts | Min | 90s | GA | GA90 | SoTA | Saves | Save% | W | D | L | CS | CS% |
| Edwin van der Sar | 2 squads | 313 | 312 | 27,822 | 310.2 | 304 | 0.98 | 1471 | 1167 | 79.3 | 165 | 70 | 76 | 134 | 42.9 |
| David de Gea | Manchester Utd | 401 | 401 | 36,028 | 400.3 | 431 | 1.08 | 1532 | 1110 | 73.3 | 217 | 97 | 87 | 141 | 35.2 |
| Peter Schmeichel | 3 squads | 310 | 310 | 27,645 | 306.6 | 284 | 0.92 | 1227 | 943 | 76.9 | 173 | 81 | 53 | 127 | 41 |
Edit: on average DDG has also faced less shots on target against than both VDS and Schmeichel - so the argument that both of those would have done worse with the teams / defences DDG has had in front of him or they did better because they had better defences/teams than him doesn't hold any water in my opinion.
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Making saves is at least 80% of a goalkeeper's job in my opinion. Distribution and being dominant in the air matters very little in the big picture. I also think De Gea's "poor" distribution and aerial abilities are very exaggerated. Yes, he's worse than many but not nearly as poor as his critics will have it. And the consequences of said poor abilities have been miniscule most of his time here.
His strong points far outweigh his weak points. He has saved us way more goals and points from outrageous saves than he has lost us points from his weaknesses. And if he's allowed to stay for another 2 years, then he will have been at United for as long as Schmeichel and VDS combined! That has to count for something.
He's a legend alongside Pete and VDS. And arguably a better goalkeeper than the latter.
His strong points far outweigh his weak points. He has saved us way more goals and points from outrageous saves than he has lost us points from his weaknesses. And if he's allowed to stay for another 2 years, then he will have been at United for as long as Schmeichel and VDS combined! That has to count for something.
He's a legend alongside Pete and VDS. And arguably a better goalkeeper than the latter.
I remember schmeicel doing those huge throws setting off so many counter attacks. His presence alone made strikers kak themselves. De Gea has never had that fear factor even when he’s been playing well. The number of times we got bailed out with the Great Dane saving penalties as well… De gea barely ever saves them.
Big Pete only ever saved 1.
Not only those long throws, the way he used to close down the space when he was 1v1 or attacker was about to shoot was unreal.
Wish we had someone like him.
Dave’s been in some rough teams, but perception is based on winning trophies. He’d be even more highly regarded if he’d had prime Rio and Vidic in front of him for years. He’s been a fantastic servant to the club, huge respect for the man.
I can’t believe how divided this thread has been.
I completely disagree with this statement.
Peter was a trailblazer, he was the first goalie to come off his line and star jump at forwards closing in on goal. Nobody ever did that before. And he used to give severe bollockings to his back 4 if they messed up. He was a great shot stopper, and when he came off his line to catch a ball, people got out of the way. You could always hear him. A proper colossus of a man, a born leader. A lunatic.
Agree 100% with every single part of your post.
Whats baffling to me is that people are ranking VDS higher because he played for a better side yet De Gea not only has been at the club for far longer but has had far more memorable performances and seasons than VDS ever had here.
Some people need their head checked and stop with the recency bias, VDS was not the perfect keeper some on here want to paint him out to be as those soft CL final goals can attest to, and De Gea has had way better seasons than he has had the past few years.
Disagree. Schmeichel is in my top 3 United players ever but even I know he’s not as good at saving shots as peak De Gea.
Yes he was better at everything else but I won’t give him that part. Peak De Gea was just ridiculous around 2014 at shot stopping. He’s the best shot stopper probably in history he was that good.
De Gea was freakish for a couple of years. You allude yo De Gea having a lower save percentage but that is more due to:
1. Football getting more open and attacking in the modern era. Ball travels faster too these days which is obvious as the technology in the game has changed along with slicker pitches.
2. United’s defence giving up huge chances rather than half chances. De Gea has had it a load more difficult than the other two. Can’t even compare really.
Stick prime Vidic / Ferdinand or Stam in front of De Gea I guarantee he’d have a lot more clean sheets and a higher save percentage.
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The stats literally show that Schmeichel and VDS faced more shots on average and saved more even with prime top defenders in front of them.
Stands to reason then they are both better shot stoppers than DDG.