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1. Simply put, David de Gea is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. The Spaniard has time and again come to the rescue of the underperforming Louis van Gaal side. Manchester United have been panned by critics for their woeful displays and mostly due to their lack of goals, but it shouldn’t be ignored that they haven’t conceded many either and it is largely down to De Gea’s heroics in goal.
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Manchester United have the second stingiest of all defences in the Premier League, having conceded just 21 times from their 24 league games so far, second only to Tottenham Hotspur’s 19. And more than anything it is down to the form of De Gea – who was on the verge of leaving for Real Madrid in the summer. The Spaniard has kept nine cleansheets from the 20 games he has been in the goal in the Premier League this season.
3. On the other hand, Iker Casillas has been in a state of rapid decline and hasn’t been at his best for quite some time. The veteran goalkeeper endured a torrid time at the 2014 World Cup. His mistake almost cost Real Madrid their much wanted La Decima in the summer of 2014 and his blunders cost Porto a chance to reach the knockout stage of the European Cup this season. He just isn’t the same presence in goal any more.
4. At this point of time it is almost laughable that Spain national team boss Vicente del Bosque keeps persisting with Casillas. It is worth reminding that Spain’s poor performance at the World Cup in Brazil was down to some of the questionable selections from their manager. He took his old favourites David Villa and Fernando Torres to Brazil and we all know how it turned out. Persisting with Casillas will most likely be another step in the wrong direction.
5. Del Bosque should be looking to build the team for future. Iker Casillas is a leader and he certainly commands respect from the top professionals in Real Madrid and Barcelona dressing rooms but it is about time that he takes on the role on the bench. The other options of Del Bosque include Victor Valdes, Sevilla’s Sergio Rico and Villarreal’s Sergio Asenjo aside from De Gea. But Valdes hasn’t played first team football for a long time and the other two are simply aren’t in the same league as the United number 1.
Wasi is a keen fan with loads of knowledge about the game. He has written for some of the world’s leading soccer websites and is a major Barcelona and Pune City FC fan. He loves the Champions League and watches 200+ EPL games & La Liga games per season.