We tried to get him in earlier, they rebuffed us. Only in that following summer. And Van der Sar was not asked for an extra year because of his wife's illness.
The only problem i had with Utd signing De Gea was that i thought it would have been better for him coming in a year earlier and working closely with VDS.
Yeah he speaks English okay, when he signed for us he done a phone interview in English. Not sure how much he has been practising considering he has had to learn Spanish.
Yeah he does love it at Madrid and they are in pole position to get him again next season for sure.
Eh, Thibaut's got a good 6 centimetres on De Gea and he's only 7 kg heavier, it's hardly a massive difference. I agree he probably wouldn't suffer from the same things David did at the time, though, purely because he's huge.
To be fair, he was solid in the latter part of last season when you won the two cups, but he hasn't exactly been on top form, has he? He's not what he once was, although he can still pull off some smart saves.I think the past 12 months he has shown what a great shot stopper he actually is. Before then Chelsea had most of the possession in games and would hardly face a shot but in the last 12 months at times we have been under the cosh and he produced save after save. I think he is the most comfortable at catching the ball in the Premier Leauge along with saves like yesterday and last years FA Cup final and Champs League final where he was the main reason we won them cups. Just because Chelsea have been very average this season i don't agree that Cech has been average. What has got worse or not changed if you will is his distribution which not only is very poor but very out dated for this teams new style of play. Too often he will go long and try to find Drogba as he was used to doing but as we all know he is no longer there. Instead there are smaller players who don't win the ball in the air and the play comes straight back at us.
You realise if Cech stayed as 2nd choice, he would probably still be on massive wages? There's not much point in keeping him just as a tutor, you might as well get a better/cheaper 2nd choice in.I actually think Courtois will benefit more from having a year on loan in the Premier League first, that's if i was gaffer anyway. Agree with you that we cannot lose the lad, he has all the attributes to be as good as Cech in his prime which would set us up nicely for the next 10 years! I actually think Petr may stay as 2nd choice, he has a great affiliation with the club and want better man to work closely with for Courtois than Cech?
You wouldn't even trade him for Casillas? Buffon? I acknowledge he's good, with a lot of promise, but I think you're overrating him a bit.These GKs are good enough to catch simplest of crosses that are unchallenged. What stats won't reveal is how keeper had dealt with crosses when attackers, defenders attack the ball and he is under pressure.
De Gea has improved a lot in that dept. His shot stopping is up there with the best and his distribution was always his strength. Not sure who is THE BEST in the world but I won't trade him for any GK in the world (Maybe except Neuer but meh not even him).
Btw it was awful from commentators in the last few games. He made absolutely no mistake so they came up with "He caught it low" bs *facepalm* and "he should have came out to collect cross" for even the crosses that were flatter and quicker.
To be fair, he was solid in the latter part of last season when you won the two cups, but he hasn't exactly been on top form, has he? He's not what he once was, although he can still pull off some smart saves.
You realise if Cech stayed as 2nd choice, he would probably still be on massive wages? There's not much point in keeping him just as a tutor, you might as well get a better/cheaper 2nd choice in.
You wouldn't even trade him for Casillas? Buffon? I acknowledge he's good, with a lot of promise, but I think you're overrating him a bit.
You wouldn't even trade him for Casillas? Buffon? I acknowledge he's good, with a lot of promise, but I think you're overrating him a bit.
To be fair, he was solid in the latter part of last season when you won the two cups, but he hasn't exactly been on top form, has he? He's not what he once was, although he can still pull off some smart saves.
You realise if Cech stayed as 2nd choice, he would probably still be on massive wages? There's not much point in keeping him just as a tutor, you might as well get a better/cheaper 2nd choice in.
You wouldn't even trade him for Casillas? Buffon? I acknowledge he's good, with a lot of promise, but I think you're overrating him a bit.
Why trade a 22 year for old two 30+ stars, when the 22 year old is more than likely going to be a star in his own right.
Ah my bad - I wasn't factoring in their ages, just their current ability. I should have made that clear: now I just sound stupid.I'm not the one who blindly follows the hype. Casillas is worse than De Gea when it comes to commanding area. He is **** at collecting crosses. Amazing shot stopper but very dodgy at collecting crosses which is why De Gea was slated for. And he was never criticized for his mistakes so people who don't watch him think he never makes any.
Buffon has what 1 or 2 more years max? Why will I want to trade a 22 year old GK who is ironing out his flaws and improving every game with a player who is about to pack it in 2-3 years?
Fair point, but just making the point that Cech would be on massive wages, and you could probably tempt someone like Vorm in with lower wages as your 2nd keeper.Good second choice keepers are hard to get because if they are that good they are first choice elsewhere mate.
Lineup for tonight: Cech, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Terry, Bertrand, Benayoun, Lampard, Mata, Ramires, Moses, Torres.
Benny's getting a runout, but it's a reasonably strong team nonetheless.
Pretty happy with that line up tbh the likes of Hazard, Oscar, iva and Mikel getting a rest before the league game at the weekend. Would proberly rather Marin over Benny though.
Oh, and I forgot to mention. Chelsea youth lost the NextGen tournament to Villa's youth, but they all put up a good fight and kept going til the end. They went toe to toe with one of the best academies in England and acquitted themselves well, there's certainly some good potential there.
Oh, and I forgot to mention. Chelsea youth lost the NextGen tournament to Villa's youth, but they all put up a good fight and kept going til the end. They went toe to toe with one of the best academies in England and acquitted themselves well, there's certainly some good potential there.
Oh, and I forgot to mention. Chelsea youth lost the NextGen tournament to Villa's youth, but they all put up a good fight and kept going til the end. They went toe to toe with one of the best academies in England and acquitted themselves well, there's certainly some good potential there.
Grealish looks really good.
Fully deserved Villa win too mate, both academies are looking sensational.
So Chelsea, Arsenal and Villa all reached the semi-finals and beyond? Good showing, but I'm not sure how many foreign teams were involved in the competition.