An example of this was the shambolic display during the equally shambolic 3-2 defeat to bottom of the table and eventually relegated Blackburn on New Year’s Day 2012. This has been attributed to a lack of physical prowess but at 6ft4in and nearly 12st he’s barely a shrinking violet. Although he has struggled against more aggressive teams, for me this has been less to do with physicality and more to do with protection from referees. In La Liga, goalkeepers receive with a great degree of care, too much, some would say. He would’ve been told what to expect in England but the increase in physicality from La Liga combined with less protection from referees must have been a culture shoc for the young Spaniard.
What De Gea needs to do is learn how to impose himself in his box, and this has as much to do with attitude than anything physical. As he gains more confidence (which for the most part he is) this will come, and once it comes, his defence will immediately feel more comfortable playing in front of him. Many of his errors this season have been compounded by the poor defensive positioning of his teammates. Feeling unsure about their goalkeeper, the United defenders can often be seen dropping deeper than would otherwise be necessary.
Dropping this deep can and has left space in and around the box, meaning that when de Gea has made handling errors, there have been gaping holes in the defence for the opposition to exploit, much like Clint Dempsey did at White Hart Lane during the 1-1 draw earlier this year. Confidence breeds consistency and consistency breeds confidence. Alex Ferguson has to be commended for keeping faith in him. Sure, he’s been occasionally dropped for three or four matches but it’s telling that the Spaniard has started most, if not all, of the important games United have played this season.
Where de Gea is world-class, possibly even the best in the world, is with his shot-stopping and agility. For a lot of goalkeepers, these attributes can be an Achilles’ heel but de Gea has both in abundance. The much talked-about physicality and dominance in the box will come with maturity. The difference between de Gea and the majority of United’s previous goalkeepers is that he has had to do most of his growing up and maturing under the watchful gaze of nearly 80,000 people every second weekend. Inevitably, it has presented some initial difficulties, but this is neither surprising nor out of the ordinary.
Personally, I feel that once he has overcome his teething problems and gains the maturity and confidence that accompanies all top goalkeepers, we’ll see a man who is no longer daunted by the Theatre of Dreams but instead realises that it is in fact his theatre, his home, his backyard and his to defend. And when that happens, I think we could well be talking about the greatest goalkeeper Manchester United have ever had.
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