David de Gea and his ‘decline in form’ often go hand in hand. His recent performances have time and again highlighted these issues. He has been named the Manchester United Player of the Year a record 4 times while Paul Scholes couldn’t even win one (To be honest Scholes deserved one….). He was once the epitome of elite consistency, the cornerstone of the Red Devils. But that is now a thing of the past.
It would be safe to say that he makes the headlines more for his errors than for his heroics – perhaps people expect more from him. Should United drop de Gea?– this question wouldn’t have made any sense 3 years ago but this is one of the trending questions in the football world and a matter of debate and speculation in recent times. Talk about the most surprising player declines since 2018 and it would not be surprising to find out de Gea sitting right atop the list.
After Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn shot straight through De Gea in the Premier League to score last month, many football pundits lashed out at the shot-stopper. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at his defence again and stated that the best goalkeepers in the world do have an off-day sometimes. But Ole will have to face more questions and criticism after an absolute howler from de Gea gifted Chelsea their second goal and a place in the FA Cup final.
The Spanish shot-stopper was heavily scrutinized again for his errors in the FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea and it seems as if Ole will have to look at other options in the upcoming fixtures.
Statistically, de Gea has made three mistakes which have directly led to goals this season, which is not a good sign for a world class keeper. To add to the misery, statistics also concluded that out of 32.3 expected goals on target, he has conceded a staggering 32. The goals prevented figure is calculated by taking away the number of goals conceded from the shots on target- this means that he hasn’t really made any exquisite saves beyond the customary saves you would expect the average keeper to make.
While the Sheffield United keeper Dean Henderson, who is on loan from Manchester United has just made one error this entire season and if you were to go by statistical data, he has a goals prevented figure of 9.3 (Now this is way more than 0.3)- the third highest in the Premier League this season.
Henderson has 13 clean sheets, one more than de Gea and the numbers clearly favour the loanee to supplant De Gea from his position as the premier shot-stopper of the Red Devils.
His performance levels have dipped significantly and is quite inconsistent. His reputation and credentials are still among the very best in business, but his confidence is waning. He needs to rejuvenate himself, take a break and prove the old saying that actions do speaks louder than words with improved performances between the sticks.
It is not only the ball that has been slipping through his fingers of late, an opportunity to consolidate his position in the United as well as the Spanish national team is slipping as well, at an alarming rate.
MUST READ – 13 Facts About David De Gea You Should Know!
