Why David de Gea Is the Biggest Star in World Football in December
One of the biggest stories in world football during the month of December has been the impressive form of Manchester United.
Louis van Gaal's side, who some cast off as a contender for a UEFA Champions League position in September, are currently in the middle of a nine-match unbeaten run.
In six games during the busy month, the Red Devils have conceded on just five occasions. Most of the success in defense can be accredited to the play of David de Gea, who we have chosen as the biggest star in world football for December.
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De Gea's most impressive performance came in front of the Old Trafford faithful against rivals Liverpool on December 14, as he totaled eight saves.
The Spanish netminder wasn't just strong during one brief spell in the 3-0 victory, he was tremendous from start to finish against Liverpool's dangerous attack. He also created a ton of momentum for his side throughout one of the Premier League's marquee clashes.
In the 12th minute, De Gea denied Raheem Sterling from close range. Less than a minute later, United used the save as a catalyst to create Wayne Rooney's opener.
As the game progressed, the play of the 'keeper improved. Steven Gerrard, Mario Balotelli and Sterling all tried to put a goal past the United No. 1, but none of the players had any success in doing so.
United earned a comfortable three-goal lead through Robin van Persie in the 71st minute, but if Brendan Rodgers' side had scored once, a spirited comeback may have been in the cards. Thanks to De Gea's two second-half saves from Balotelli, United were able to hold onto a critical clean sheet.
Not all of De Gea's goalkeeping heroics came in matches in which he had a big cushion to lay back on. In United's 2-1 win over Stoke on December 2, the Spaniard was forced to make a last-minute save from Mame Biram Diouf to preserve the result.
If Diouf had netted a late equalizer on the second day of the final month of 2014, we could be talking about a different compilation of United results in Van Gaal's fifth month in charge.
Following the win over Stoke, the Red Devils defeated Southampton and Liverpool before drawing with Aston Villa, 1-1, at Villa Park.
In the first two games of the festive period, United have earned four points through a win over Newcastle and a road draw with Spurs at White Hart Lane Sunday.
With the back line still a work in progress, De Gea has stood on his head to hand United a string of impressive results in December. Over the six-game stretch in the past month, De Gea has made a total of 23 saves. The eight against Liverpool were the most saves made by the Spaniard, and he made at least three denials on four other occasions. His two-save performance against Stoke was the lone outlier.
De Gea hasn't been the only standout star in the United lineup this month, as Wayne Rooney has contributed two goals and two assists during the same stretch of matches. While Rooney has a legitimate argument to be named as December's top player, De Gea has made a bigger impact on the squad.
On the blue half of Manchester, David Silva is in terrific form, with four goals in his last three matches. But he only came on as a star producer after his two-goal outing against Crystal Palace on December 20.
Just like every month of 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo presented a strong case for this award as well. But his candidacy is hampered a bit by the fact that we expect him to score two or three goals per game for on-fire Real Madrid.
One defensive-minded field player who also deserves a mention in this conversation is Chelsea's Nemanja Matic. In the back part of the midfield, Matic has been an absolute machine for the Premier League leaders.
We could go on about a few other contenders for this honor. But after comparing December resumes, De Gea is the one player who has worked wonders for his team in the biggest time of need.
Without De Gea's terrific showings in goal over the last month, we could be having more urgent discussions about the sustainability of United's defense.
With the 24-year-old Spaniard in net, Manchester United have been able to silence the critics and earn a solid grasp on third place in the Premier League, which is something we did not expect out of this side two months ago.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.
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