Contrasting keepers
Their reputations are very different but David de Gea has outperformed Joe Hart this season. Adam Bate looks at the disparity between the reputations of the goalkeepers at the two Manchester clubs.
Wednesday 10 April 2013 10:25, UK
Has David de Gea now earned the right to be considered a superior goalkeeper to Joe Hart?
On Monday evening against Manchester City, David de Gea was just 17 minutes away from matching the longest time Peter Schmeichel ever went without conceding a Premier League goal for Manchester United. With that achievement in his sights, Ryan Giggs attempted an ambitious and ill-advised backheel and the ball soon fell to James Milner whose deflected strike flew past the outstretched fingertips of the young Spaniard. The plaudits that would come with eclipsing Schmeichel were not to be. That just seems to be the way it goes for De Gea. "I could have bought Joe Hart for £100,000 so we all make mistakes," admitted Sir Alex Ferguson in February of last year. "If you look at the England goalkeeper situation for the last 20 years, I would think he's easily the best." Perhaps it wasn't meant to be a slight on the young goalkeeper in possession of the No.1 shirt at Old Trafford but the message was clear: Hart is just about the best around. Indeed, the perceived contrast between the form of Hart at Manchester City and the high-profile errors of De Gea at Manchester United became a key narrative of last season's title race. For the second season running, Joe Hart picked up the Premier League Golden Gloves award after keeping the most clean sheets of any top-flight goalkeeper. De Gea, meanwhile, made an error on his league debut against West Brom and endured an ongoing struggle to shake off the stigma for the remainder of the campaign. So while Hart was named in the Premier League team of the year, De Gea faced a summer of seemingly endless debate about his future and suggestions that Anders Lindegaard might take his first-team place. England goalkeeping legend Gordon Banks summed up the mood of many in putting Hart on a different level to either of the United options. "I am not sure about the two keepers at United, not at all," Banks told the Daily Mail last year. "Sir Alex Ferguson could have got a better keeper than either of them. I am sure he wishes he had signed Joe, who is the best English goalkeeper by a mile and could become the best in the world. He is now making terrific saves for Manchester City, while these lads at United look as if they can let in important goals."| Premier League - Saves to shots | ||
| Player | 2012/13 | 2011/12 |
| David De Gea | 77% | 78% |
| Joe Hart | 66% | 77% |
| Premier League - Errors leading to goals | ||
| Player | 2012/13 | 2011/12 |
| David De Gea | 1 | 2 |
| Joe Hart | 4 | 1 |
