David De Gea: 5 Reasons Manchester United Fans Should Keep Faith

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With impressive wins in the Community Shield and the English Premier League (EPL) opener following an absolutely smashing preseason, Sir Alex Ferguson and his sprightly crew of Red Devils have once again declared their intentions to compete for the English Premier League (EPL) Title, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

However, instead of celebrating the exploits of a team that is far more dynamic than the 2010-11 side, most supporters appear deeply concerned that £18 million goalkeeper David De Gea has failed to meet the expectations established by the recently retired Edwin van der Sar.

While I admit that the new United No. 1 has looked a bit slow and indecisive at critical moments, such intense criticism is largely undeserved. So, here are five reasons why United fans should keep faith in their new No. 1.

1. He's Only Played 2 Meaningful Games!

A player's performance over a short period of time is not indicative of his actual quality.

Take the case of van der Sar. If we were to evaluate his ability to perform as a United keeper by his showing in the 2011 Champions League Final, we would not rate him very highly.

After being beaten at the near post by Pedro, van der Sar reacted too slowly to a long-range blast from Lionel Messi and conceded a second goal. While Barcelona's third goal of the match came through a beautiful curler from David Villa, United fans would have hoped for the Flying Dutchman to rise to the occasion and produce one of the sensational saves that earned him his sterling reputation.

Similarly, Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina and Everton keeper Tim Howard have a well-documented history of conceding cheap goals. Nevertheless, their moments of brilliance outshine brief glimpses of incompetence, so fans ultimately regard them as first-class keepers.

With this sentiment in mind, let's at least wait until January until we begin to assess his capacity to feature as United's keeper.

2. Different Club, Different Fans

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While playing a largely mid-table team, the Spanish international got to keep his cake and eat it too. He was praised when his contributions helped Atlético win, but not heavily criticized when his team lost. 

While supporters surely wanted their side to perform well, they simply could not blame their outstanding goalkeeper for conceding multiple goals against such dominant sides as Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Conversely, Manchester United fans expect their side to win every fixture, so each loss is treated as a major disappointment.

Certainly realizing that fans and the media will be much less forgiving of potentially costly mistakes than supporters at his former club, De Gea might simply be too worried about conceding at the moment.

Nevertheless, he is too talented to fail. After adjusting to the increased scrutiny, he will most certainly rediscover his top form.

3. Role Adjustment

Edwin Van der Sar always made the most of his opportunities
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While De Gea is adjusting to new supporters, he is also acclimating to a new role in his club's success.

With Los Rojiblancos, the Spaniard faced a high volume of shots and was expected to turn away most attempts.

At United, he will face a much smaller volume of shots, but will be expected to concede far less frequently than he did with Atletico.

In 38 La Liga games last season, De Gea faced 207 shots and conceded 53 times.

Featuring for United in 33 EPL fixtures last season, Van der Sar faced 114 shots and conceded 32 times.

Considering that De Gea and van der Sar have nearly identical save percentages, it would seem natural that the 20-year-old could simply replicate van der Sar's performance. However, the issue is more complex than it appears.

To illustrate this point, let's say that I am in the basketball gym practicing free throws. Would it be easier for me to score seven shots from 10 attempts or to score eight shots from 12 attempts?

While the second scenario requires me to score more times than the first scenario, I have a reasonable margin for error. Essentially, if I score two of every three shots, I will reach my goal.

However, in order to reach my goal in the first situation, I have a smaller margin for error and would need to accomplish the more difficult task of scoring three consecutive shots at least once.

Following this line of reasoning, De Gea will find himself regularly facing the first type of scenario. With fewer opportunities to protect his net, he will thus need to minimize his errors in order to maximize his effectiveness.

As I mentioned in the previous slide, De Gea is undeniably talented. Once he develops the composure to match his class, he will undoubtedly develop into one of the world's best keepers.

4. Results Are Always Better Than Form

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Reading the media criticism surrounding De Gea's performance, one would think that the 20-year-old had been responsible for at least one United loss. On the contrary, United emerged as 3-2 winners in the Community Shield against "noisy neighbors" Manchester City and defeated West Bromwich Albion, 2-1, at the Hawthorns.

In spite of his awkward moments, the young Spaniard should still be more content than his Swansea City counterpart, Michel Vorm, who played spectacularly in his EPL debut, but still ended up conceding four times against Manchester City.

As long as United continue to win, Man U supporters should not complain too loudly.

5. Supporters (Literally) Cannot Afford To Lose Faith

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Following a roughly £18 million move to Old Trafford, United supporters immediately dubbed him a fitting successor to Edwin van der Sar.

Not impressed by his initial performances, United fans should remain patient with him as there is no alternative solution.

Sure, United could sell him back to Atletico for half price, but this would only leave the club out £9 million and still without a first-class keeper.

Even if fans don't like the lad, they might as well continue hoping he vindicates his hefty price tag.

As you surely realize by now, I think De Gea will deliver.