Since replacing the Dutch shot stopper, Edwin Van Der Sar, David de Gea has grown into the man many tipped him to be. At the age of just 21- years old, David de Gea was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson to replace the retired Edwin Van Der Sar. The young Spanish goal keeper received lots of praise from a host of experts and players alike. Van Der Sar himself had lots of praise for the young man, ”De Gea is high, has good feet, comes with authority and is agile… has everything to be one of the greatest goalkeepers in the next ten years.”— Edwin van der Sar.
It was not the best of starts to his Manchester United career as the young man struggled to adapt to English football. He made his competitive debut against cross town rivals Manchester City in the FA Community Shield. De Gea was caught out in the first half with a Joleon Lescott header and a long range Edin Dzeko strike that put City two goals up. United came back to win the game 3-2 in the second half. Certainly, De Gea had some work to do. The Spaniard has developed over the years.
David De Gea has improved in all aspects of his game. In football, there are said to be four key skills a player should possess: physical, psychological, technical and tactical skills. Any player that develops these attributes is set for greatness. De Gea has improved immensely on his physical aspect of the game. He joined Manchester United as a boy with lots of prospects yet he was agile, timid and looked weak, weighing just about 70 kilograms. De Gea changed his diet and started weight-training regiments, which has helped him put on weight over the years. His physical improvement makes him better in competing for aerial balls and has made him huge on one-on-one situations. We have seen him pull off some amazing one-on-one saves recently. It is almost like the Spaniard had just done what former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said, “A goalkeeper needs a certain level of robustness in order to make the opponent respect him”.
A goalkeeper’s presence can sometimes intimidate opponents and that is just who David De Gea is now. A new country, a new club and De Gea’s lifestyle had to change. He played in England while his girlfriend was in Spain. De Gea also had to deal with the powerful media in England, who always look to intrude the private lifestyles of stars. He has manage to deal with all that professionally.
Another aspect of the game which is very crucial is the technical aspect. Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville made some interesting points on De Gea’s improvement earlier this season. This was on one-on-one situations, the best goalkeepers stay on their feet for as long as possible and the weaker goalkeepers go to ground quicker, giving the striker a lot to aim at and a longer time to make decisions on where to place a shot. De Gea’s improvement has improved his decision-making, utilizing a variety of his feet, hands, and body to make key saves in recent months. He is comfortable on both feet and is composed anytime he receives a back pass.
De Gea has a special attribute of being able to pick passes from his area, finding the wide men or strikers. An in-depth analysis by Gary Neville revealed a massive improvement in De Gea’s catch-to-punch ratio. From 56 percent to 69 percent and now 92 percent, eclipsing Peter Schmeichel’s numbers.
“I was used to the idea that high crosses delivered from the wings were my balls. I thought I could transfer to English conditions without any problems,” said Schmeichel. “But I realised that it was quite normal for strikers to make physical challenges in the air, and I wasn’t used to that. I slowly began to accept that I would have to adjust my style of play.” His adjustment to the English game was pivotal in his rise in the club. De Gea has grown to learn exactly that about the English game. He is one of the most difficult keepers to beat in the world of football now. In his early days at Manchester United, he was the weak link, but is now tougher mentally, and physically. He is no doubt one of the Premier League’s best performers so far this season.
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