Thomas Hein
The world of football is unpredictable, and you’re just as likely to figure out what the next round of the Premier League will bring as you’re able to predict which numbers a slot in an online casino will show in the next spin. But amidst all the chaos, volatility, and unpredictability, a few players stand out with their consistency.
Consistency and the ability to deliver day in and day out is what wins you championships and is a trait held by only the most elite players in the world. Admittedly, every football coach would want consistent players in all positions, but if you had to pick one, it would be your goalkeeper.
We’re fairly deep into the 2021/22 English Premier League season, and many players have established themselves as good, great, and the best in their position. But, of those, there’s one name that stands out – David de Gea.
New Season And A Chance For A New Start
Earlier this year, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it publicly clear that he believes Manchester United have two “number ones,” which many EPL fans could agree with. But statements like that surely left a sour taste in de Gea’s mouth, who would like to be considered the top goalkeeper for the team he joined over a decade ago.
But realistically, the Spaniard hasn’t earned to be considered as such. He has had a very underwhelming performance last season and seemed like he lacked the confidence to perform a the top level.
Weeks and months of iffy showings eventually led de Gea to step aside and let Dean Henderson take over as Red Devils’ go-to goalkeeper. But like many situations before where a player gets replaced and is no longer the star name of the team, de Gea got his hands dirty and started working on himself to reclaim the position that was rightfully his.
Henderson has been Sloskjaer’s preferred goalkeeper for a good portion of the second part of the campaign, and quickly rumors started to pop up, suggesting that de Gea could be nearing the exit doors. Escaping such a situation isn’t easy – it requires a lot of work, determination, and the mental fortitude to fight for the starting spot – but de Gea wasn’t ready to give up.
However, out of all the factors, luck might be the most important one, and it seems like de Gea had that on his side as well. At the start of August, it was announced that Henderson had caught COVID, effectively ruling him out from the roster and giving de Gea a golden ticket to return to the pitch and prove his worth.
Everything fell into place for the Spaniard, who was waiting for his chance to prove that he still “has it.” Now it was time for de Gea to prove himself, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
He Still Has It
Many Manchester United fans were skeptical about de Gea’s return following his underwhelming showings last term. But the Spaniard did not hesitate to prove all the doubters wrong.
De Gea’s heroic save against Southampton and superb performance against Wolverhampton in the second and third round of the Premier League suggested that the 31-year-old might be back, but he needed to show a bit more. And that’s exactly what de Gea did, with an injury-time penalty save at West Ham in the fifth round, which truly proved that he is ready to lead Manchester United to glory.
A dilemma of which goalkeeper to pick suddenly disappeared from Solskjaer’s mind as his choice was clear and loud – David de Gea.
Things, however, turned south shortly thereafter. Manchester United started to struggle, leaving de Gea vulnerable in the back as he would go on to concede 20 goals across the next seven EPL rounds, including five against Liverpool (0-5), thee against Tottenham (0-3), and four against Watford (4-1).
Changes were needed, but not necessarily on the pitch. A streak of humiliating results eventually led the club to sack Solskjaer and replace him with Ralf Rangnick on November 29, giving birth to a new wave of optimism in Man United, who would quickly find themselves back on track.
With the team starting to perform better, de Gea’s numbers also improved as he was back on top of his game and was often awarded the Man of the Match. He continued to rack up breathtaking saves, often saving his team from imminent doom, and quickly cemented his status as one of the key players to help Manchester United re-emerge as one of the top teams in England.
Many Man United fans would agree with that, but it’s not only the eye test that proves de Gea’s contributions to the team. Instead, we also have statistics to back those claims up.
In fact, if we go purely off the numbers, de Gea is not only one of Man United’s top players. He is the BEST goalkeeper in the English Premier League.
Numbers Don’t Lie
You could argue which is the best approach to evaluate a player and his contributions to the team. But for the most part, the expected goals (xG) is what will give you pretty accurate answers.
The statistic has been gaining serious popularity in the football world, as it’s simple and does what it’s supposed to do. The xG measures any goal-scoring opportunities by evaluating a chance via many different variables, including shot type and location of the shot, and it gives a pretty accurate measurement of how many goals a team or a player should have scored under normal circumstances.
However, there’s a more accurate metric, named post-shot expected goals (PSxG). Unlike xG, the PSxG also considers what happens to the ball after the player shoots it.
This metric is often used to value the goalkeeper’s performance and how efficiently he stopped a quality shot. And obviously, the goalkeeper that is ranked the highest on this metric is the most efficient in stopping the ball.
If we go by PSxG numbers, de Gea is not only a great goalkeeper. He is the best goalkeeper in the English Premier League, with an astonishing 0.41 PSxG. In comparison, he is above Jose Sa (0.39) in second and well above Alvaro Fernandez (0.19) in third.
Admittedly, de Gea had to deal with far more shots due to Manchester United’s shaky defense, but that doesn’t take away from his individual performances. De Gea is the last line of defense for Manchester United, whose job is to stop the final shot – and he is pretty good at that.
What the future holds in store for de Gea and Manchester United is anyone’s guess. But if the Spaniard can keep performing at this level, it’s fair to feel optimistic about what the next few months will bring.
It’s always a worrying sign when your goalkeeper is your standout performer, and it’s telling that De Gea has so often been in the conversation for the Man of the Match award this term. It’s scary to think where United would be without De Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo.
De Gea has been excellent, and the first blemish of his season came away against Atalanta in the Champions League in November. His saves have bailed United out on multiple occasions, and it was time for his teammates to repay the favor in Bergamo.
Ronaldo duly obliged — it was always going to be Ronaldo — when finding the back of the net in stoppage time to earn a draw.
