Romero: not exactly the king of 'distribution'

With De Gea starting the Red Devils' pre-season games in America, the recent intake of players has included Argentina's first choice Sergio Romero. The goalkeeper best known for playing a couple of club games (his club football is nowhere near a good record as his international one) and then going to a World Cup final, is now added to the Mancunians' roster going into the 2015 season.With the breakup between Valdes and Van Gaal doing the gossip circuit and De Gea still been linked with Real Madrid with Casillas now with Porto, it seems the Dutch manager is looking to add to his dressing room, with depth in between the posts.

Romero over Valdes, honestly?!
Personally, I think the choice of Romero over Valdes is a silly one. You can patch up things normally between coach and player unless something horrendous has gone wrong (an apology outside the media eye normally does wonders), and if Valdes was spun his joining with phrases like "you'll have a shot at the first team", "we'll give you the chance" etc. etc. yadda yadda, then it's no surprise he'd be a little peeved if he didn't get any games in. He only played a few reserve games before being put on the bench, and with no solid back-up options there already, am a little confused about that moot point.

Going by the comments and sound bites coming from United goalkeeping staff, Romero is apparently a great fit because of his confidence, ability, and his great distribution:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33671260

I'm honestly not sure how they came to that conclusion, and I can't say that his kicking ability is anywhere near that of Valdes'. Rolling the ball out to a defender to kick long is nothing like punting the ball to a forward pushing into the last quarter of the pitch to create a scoring chance, or even Neuer's infamous long throws! If they insist on highlighting the need for a distributional goalkeeper, why keep looking for available goalkeepers that aren't talented in this skillset!!

No Ter Stegen
Ironically Ter Stegen is the most suited to playing in the mould that Van Gaal is looking for: great at shot stopping, with amazing passing ability to almost pinpoint perfection (and still improving! Imagine what he'll play like in five/ten years time), which is needed for Van Gaal's famous Ajax system of high press, ball retention and cycling that sees the ball transfer front to back and round again to open up lanes to attack through, which requires a goalkeeper that plays 'like an outfield player with gloves on'. Man United have missed a beat and shot themselves in the foot effectively by letting go of a player who is known for this, with the record to back it up. And Romero can't solve these issues...

No Friedel deal
Valdes could have been a steal if Van Gaal had played him right and swapped out his backline for more attacking defenders. Friedel arrived on a free and was major reason for Tottenham's success during his 'Indian summer' in his goalkeeping ability as he stole the show before Lloris was factored into their plans. Valdes arrived on a free and I personally think he is the only goalkeeper that fits Van Gaal's system.

And if Van Gaal really wants to continue a system and pick the players for it (like Wenger or Mourinho), than the other way round of players that make up a system by their mixing playing styles, why continue to play a goalkeeper that is amazing at save making behind a straight four-four-two style system and four man backline that stays together in the old offside trap set-up, when you are making the switch to an adaptive line?

Back-up rather than 1A
Ultimately, he's more likely to be a bench warming back-up goalkeeper to provide support and mentoring for De Gea (IF he stays). A 1A - 1B system is where the second choice can easily step into the other's shoes (like the Sorensen/Begovic relationship); this I can't see happening here. I can understand and see the link with Van Gaal and him having coached him when he played for Alkmaar, sorts the problem of Valdes' refusing to play reserve games - with a working relationship between the two, you'd think there'd be less of an issue! But that amount of money for a back-up, and one that doesn't play the ball well, why continue to keep this up?

A goalkeeper that United should be looking at more is that of Vorm, whose stats of completed long passes were some of the best in the league whilst at Swansea and . Romero doesn't really solve the problem of , and if De Gea does go, he is there purely as an insurance policy, so that the second choice is sorted before they look for De Gea's replacement. They can avoid further dressing room fallout with , and .

Given to Stoke: thoughts

A veteran transfer sees Stoke join up with Villa-leavee Shay Given. Having made the most of his loan spell at Middlesborough and fighting his way back into the side after a strong cup run, Given has made the decision to leave the club and move forward with his career. With Begovic moving, and Sorensen having already retired, Stoke management needed to look for an experienced veteran to bring into the fold. With Buckland still pushing for that elusive starter opportunity, with so much game experience on loan and internationally with the England U21's, now more than ever Stoke will need a veteran with the right attitude to warm the bench but also be able to step in if needed.

Back-up to Butland?
The signing of Given and not signing of another big name goalkeeper (Given would be a bigger name say ten years ago when he was great for Newcastle!) really suggests to me that Stoke are non-verbally giving the nod to Butland. Butland has also shown his desire to play in the Premier league, and took the offer from Stoke rather than Chelsea (ironically as a back-up role that Begovic has potentially moved for) to match this, and a fair amount of loans to give him the next level up in playing experience to prove he is ready for the big show.

Like I mentioned with Begovic, the Given deal gives Butland support from the bench and a mature, experienced goalkeeper to learn from, go to for advice and to work with on the training ground. This should make for a great tandem as Butland gets given his opportunity to shine, and Given is there in the background to egg him on.

Begovic to Chelsea: why?

The move of Begovic to Chelsea is quite an interesting one, with the Bosnian international trading regular games with Stoke to potentially 'riding the pine' of the bench at Chelsea. Courtois, who has continued to add to his silverware, took the no. 1 shirt from Cech and ran with it. Mourinho is known for his shrewd approach to the transfer market and with plenty of other examples of backup transfer attempts, like with Butland and Ruddy, Chelsea are keen to fill the void left by Cech.

And so here's some thoughts on the reasons behind the transfer...

Champions League football
Moving to Chelsea allows Begovic to get the chance to test his mettle against some of the world's best players in European competition. Even just for the starting games, he gets the chance to put himself on a bigger stage, with more mental roadblocks, like dealing with the increased media coverage and fanfare of playing in big games like this. As Bosnia's number one, and for an emerging team that might want to push for a World Cup historical success, he needs this kind of experience.

Injury cover
We all know how well Chelsea have done in recent years with their cover in the goalkeeping department and with Cech gone, Mourinho has no chance to simply point to the bench and bring on an experienced veteran that can guarantee them the win, should Courtois pull up injured. Bringing in Begovic solves this as he has the experience and mentality to provide cover as needed.

Time share
Playing with Stoke, and sharing time with Sorensen, Begovic is pretty used to the routine of having to prepare to play week and not the next. It takes a special kind of goalkeeper, person and mentality to have a time share in goal at this level. It's pretty common to see in ice hockey, where goalies will play upwards of 60 games and the coach can turn to whoever is 'riding the hot streak' to see out some wins, or to give the first choice time to rest for the playoff run.

It's not too common in the EPL but Mourinho might be considering a 50-50 split eventually (or if Begovic plays well enough) so that he can keep his young prodigy sharp and rested, and to ease the pressure on a young mind from cracking.

Guiding Courtois
A thing of the old days which is forgotten about a lot in the age of superstars in the media, is the need for a goalie pa- a father figure, room mate and encourager to keep the first choice content and ready for success. Goalies train with each other, spend a lot of time with each other, and can push each other on to greatness, like with the simple competition at training of stopping the most shots. And not just making sure the goalies don't hate each other behind the scenes, goalies that get along, will do so much better as a team.

Courtois is incredibly efficient with his technique and maturity, but there is always more to learn (so long as you care enough about being the best you can be). With him looking to continue his dominance of Belgian callups and at Chelsea, it would be good for him to have a guiding figure who has been in the game longer than he has to provide tips and support from the goalie's point of view. Ironically this is the same kind of role that Given can provide at Stoke, if they choose to give Butland his chance, and will play a big (if invisible) part in his evolution.

A busy summer for goalie transfers

With so many top name goalkeepers being actively linked with new clubs and others looking for new opportunities to push for first team games, it's going to be a busy transfer window this summer. As ardent fans of goalkeeping, it will be great to follow and make the pre-season a more interesting show than having to put up with star name strikers and the like making changes.

There are a lot of goalkeepers that could be potentially moving, as well as plenty of rumours about possibles. I'm hopefully going to cover the trades with some more insight as to why and whether they'll be a good fit.


Done deals:

• Cech to Arsenal
• Casillas to Porto
• Begovic to Chelsea
• Turnbull to Leeds
• Given to Stoke
• Al-Habsi to Reading
• Romero to Man Utd

Rumours:

• Valdes up for market after refusing to play reserve games
• Heaton to Everton as a long term replacement for Howard
• Hennessey said to be linked with a lot of teams but no solid offers - makes sense if Palace stick with Speroni who has been so strong for them (and the last games of the season allowing club to show off his market value)

Possibles:

• Westwood - shown so much promise with Sheffield Wednesday and a good bargain should a Premier league side move for him
• Craig Gordon - would be surprised if no-one moves for him after having such a strong outing with Celtic after making his comeback from injury
• Szczesny - introduction of Ospina into the Arsenal team saw him stuck on the sidelines. Not wanting to languish on the bench, I could see him moving elsewhere to get game time.

Casillas to Porto and the domino effect

So the deal is done, the rumours are now reality, and after a legendary career with Madrid, Casillas is off to Portugese title challengers Porto. Looking lacklustre and despondent a lot of last season, it's the perfect chance to free himself from the toxic environment that comes with being a superstar and not living up to previous expectations. With De Gea hot on his heels for international selection, it could be more than just the passing of an era at Madrid, with his Spanish number one spot up for grabs and his career declining (no Champions league semi/final guarantee).

This leaves question marks over his replacement, with De Gea still being suggested, even by Van Gaal, and Madrid already owning Keylor Navas and Casilla (who has been performing well enough in recent outings).  And with him leaving, it will a create a big domino effect as goalkeepers shift clubs and coaches and analysts and scouts lean towards buying in talent that can assure them similar levels of success in the top tier leagues. I think this transfer window could be one of the biggest (if not, the) in recent history as clubs look towards the market to sure up their goalkeeping positions.

For Casillas, it's a great opportunity to get away from it all - in a sense - there will always be media attention wherever he goes, but I think he might want a change in career, as it looks like he doesn't want to be there a lot of the time. Let's not forget how talented he is and what he has achieved.

A big factor could be him peaking to early as a goalkeeper due to the sheer amount of games he has played (international, domestic and cup competitions) meaning he hasn't really had a break or rest in over 11 years, with all the training and off-season work required to stay at a high level of consistency. At 30, he would be expected to be in his golden age as a goalkeeper, but like Courtois, who has achieved so much so young, how higher can you really go, if you are already technically perfect? It's food for thought at least...

Whatever Casillas chooses to do with his career, his move away from his lifelong club as a pro will make for great discussion and rumour mills for goalkeeping fans everywhere.

Cech to Arsenal

The biggest goalkeeping transfer for the EPL so far, this early on in negotations, is Cech's move to Arsenal. There were a lot of comments being made linking them and by ex-Gunners goalies about how great Cech would be, and gathering momentum about Cech being the perfect fit; his experience, his maturity to lead a young team (which Wenger seems to favour right now), will pay huge dividends going forward.

After Courtois took the reins once he'd been given the chance by 'the Special One', it was guaranteed that Cech would go. Whilst he would be a great mentor, this isn't the time in his career when he should be warming the bench, and Arsenal are a gift in disguise; saving him and also saving Arsenal who have had no legacy in goal since the days of Seaman.

The good
Cech walks into the starting job even if he'll be a little rusty for regular games; he can get back his confidence and lead from the front. Arsenal give Cech the chance to fight for Champions League placings and beyond, whilst Cech can be the missing piece in the puzzle to win the league. Cech has a proven CV of experience and the mindset to back it up - he can leave a good impression on the youth and help them develop to top tier players.


The bad
Arsenal are one of the few teams in the league that truly play a counter-attacking system (Tottenham - ironically - and Liverpool being the others), which requires good kicking ability, and Cech isn't known as a sweeper keeper, which would be needed for this role without changing the playstyle and press of the team. Whilst Cech is an amazing shot stopper, it's a bit late to add this element to make him a really modern footballer (i.e. akin to what we're seeing in Ter Stegen). He's not used to playing behind a high line that forces him to play aggressively, or kick to touch on a breakaway, so this could prove difficult for the two to marry technique.


The ugly?

Szczesny could be an issue. He's not the kind of goalkeeper that wants to warm benches either! Ambitious to say the least. He's already known to cause a bit of a stir in the dressing room and in the papers, . Arsenal don't need . And they have a pretty poor track record of managing goalkeepers and goalie relationships. Remember the  Lehmann - Almunia saga? And more. Ospina was brought in after a strong World Cup and will also be looking to move for games (to move forwards for another cup and keep in the running for his international selection), and is now no longer needed.

Whatever happens though, Arsenal have just saved Cech's career (there are no other teams in the league looking for a goalkeeper of his calibre, and he could have ended up at another club with no European football etc. etc.) and Cech could save the Gunner's reputation.

Westwood deserves a second chance

Whilst there are plenty of goalkeepers that have had media notable seasons, one that has quietly gone about his business largely unnoticed is that of Sheffield Wednesday's Keiren Westwood. The Irish international was seen as a liability for Premier League standard play, and was replaced by Mannone and City's Pantilimon was brought in, but like Craig Gordon, has been on fire and showing what his former employers are missing.

When Sunderland let Westwood go in the summer, they thought they were freeing themselves off a deadweight (injured goalkeepers automatically drop low in stock despite how well they have been played - hint - try not to get injured!) and another wage packet. And instead of letting that get to him and ruin his confidence and self belief, he turned things around massively.

He looks like the real deal because of his hybridised approach (able to deal with anything and select the right save for each shot etc.) and a great acquisition should any of the Premier League's teams go looking for a new 'keeper in the off-season. Voted onto the PFA Championship team of the season and picking up various awards, he is a definite upgrade for his team and any other looking to take on his services.

A lot of Westwood's success has been down to his save selection and attacking depth (changed to deal with shots near the goal line, as seen in the highlights), so it is worth noting analysis of his save technique. Unafraid to be unorthodox, he has had a lot of success with properly used leg saves to block lower and cover with quick reactions low when he cannot dive out to reach low.

So, he are some worthy save pointers:

• Westwood has made a lot of leg saves this season (more than De Gea ;) and in all of the English leagues) - a style popular in Europe (something Cech might do but rarely) BUT ALSO has brilliant rebound control to push the ball away ON the save to get it away to safety
• Great rebound control - sees shot early, and controls ball to safe area free of players (and their rebound attempts)
• Happy to 'get big' and block with his body on point blank range shots
• Reading the game really well - well aware of danger before it happens and very quick off his line to deal with or get in position to do so
• Big selection of saves 'in the toolbox' to help him deal with any and every possible save situation
• Brave and courageous - important in 1 on 1's and more importantly to play so well when you are worried about having another dangerous injury (i.e. career ending)
• Incredibly confident - has an air of certainty and supremacy that carries around the team i.e. not worried about losing the game because of their goalie or having to defend and run extra (shown in body languge, dominating his area etc.)

De Gea injured, Valdes starts & Van Gaal drops hints

So this weekend's games saw something pretty unexpected. De Gea goes down with injury and former Barcelona no. 1 Valdes finally stepped off the bench (which he'd been keeping warm for a while!) and got some game time for his new team (which, if you remember, he joined on a free and could have earnt more with offers from Monaco etc. but chose to follow desire and ambition instead).

Valdes will start his first full game for United at the weekend in the final game of the season. It will therefore be interesting to see how he deals with the pressure of top league placing to bring home the points.

After a much more consistent and reliable season for his Red Devil team mates, this did come out of the blue. Valdes suffered the same as David last season; going down with a major injury at the end of the season. Now, De Gea also picked up an injury which forced him to miss Spanish international action (which I think personally really affected him, as he could have had a great chance to beat out Casillas for game selection), but this seems more serious.

Added to that, Van Gaal dropped the clanger that he himself . Normally a man of few words who skirts around issues and topics in group interviews, it adds to the belief that De Gea is off to Spain in the summer transfer window. Now, I normally wouldn't agree with following 'paper talk' as it is normally for papers to fill up page space, agents to manufacture new deals for players, or just pure gossip and 'wish listing', but there are a lot of signs that point to this happening.

As I've said previously, De Gea doesn't fit Van Gaal's desired model system of sweeper keeper within a 'total football' style. And I think this is the differnce maker. Rather than stamp his mark he is doing it quietly, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out. A lot like the equivalent of Mourinho dropping a sweeper for a keeper to play behind a defensive line of 4-4-2, or ironically Rodgers dropping Mignolet to bring in a sweeper for fast counter attacks (amusingly Reina already fulfilled this role!). And with Valdes doing the job and more on less pay, Van Gaal can focus his finances on seriously rebuilding his squad to fit what he wants.

http://sportinglife.aol.co.uk/football/news/article/22882/9854823/manchester-united-1-arsenal-1-louis-van-gaal-on-david-de-gea

De Gea to Real Madrid: the cues

So with the Internet and the real world abound with theories and chatter about De Gea's future transfer prospects and beyond, I thought I would put my thoughts down in one go, combining the Casillas questions and a little on analysis of why I think De Gea is fitting van Gaal's system, to save on time (you reading, me writing) and focus!

Frosty relations

When asked what he thinks of De Gea's season and match winning saves, van Gaal has responded with "he's doing his job", "that's what a goalkeeper should be doing". With no real hint of encouragement or praise lining his feedback, there does seem to be an underlying tone to De Gea's coach's statements.

Now I'm not one who would easily jump on the De Gea bandwagon (I still think he has some major flaws that show at this level, and think he's a little one stop shop at times like Tim Henman's one style near net approach; i.e. not enough tools in the toolbox), but it's undeniable that he has been majestic at times. And even the coach should be acknowledging it.

I therefore think that this hints at De Gea getting frustrated with things and that's not good for any player in that situation. I have always seen as De Gea moving back to Spain, a lot like Ronaldo moving on to Madrid.

De Gea is not a sweeper

Shown in their FA cup loss to Arsenal, De Gea just can't read the game  well enough with the mindset of a true sweeper to be able to . Whether he needs to work on reading the game, or is uncomfortable playing in this role, is uncertain, but ultimately he is not up to playing in this style; the style that van Gaal wants to build around!

If this had been another goalkeeper at another club, he would have been ripped a new one in the media and the press. I'm sorry, but if he wasn't at United, he would have been wiped the floor with in press comments the day after. Had that been Rob Green or Joe Hart (like the Sweden game against Ibrahimovic, you know!). And yes, you can find comparisons and commentary to back this up - I'm not just talking hot air!

We are talking a coach who specifically picks goalkeepers to perform specific tasks. It wasn't a wonder strike that Krul got switched at extra time to win on penalties - Cillessen has a track record for not stopping penalties, check his stats! But Krul, like De Gea is not a sweeper.

I really had expected van Gaal to stamp his mark on the club rather than tiptoe around Ferguson's reign, but perhaps he felt Valdes wouldn't have been ready after such a long time out of training and game practice to be useful.

The long and short of it, is that Valdes is a better sweeper keeper, and van Gaal wants a sweeper to allow ball retention and recycling the ball in the team's own half to open up passing lanes to hit the opposition on the counter. Without a sweeper keeper, the team cannot operate to its best. Thus, requiring a sweeper; the same style that Valdes is renowned and known for!

Compare the following clip with that of the De Gea goal. Valdes knows his positioning in the box (where he is in front of goal, how far out to challenge etc.) and he is more vocal - coaching his defenders with authority about where he wants them, and looking for that outlet pass. De Gea is a pretty shy goalie, not likely to bark out orders, and you can see the difference in Valdes jelling with the defence organically to move with the back line rather than staying static at the back behind a four man unit.

 De Gea's shot stopping style

These days, analysis or commenting on performance of goalkeepers seems to lean more towards 'bigging up' people without pointing out room for improvement, or well thought analysis. However, I don't this is appropriate or useful. Rather than highlighting the strengths and style of the individual goalkeeper (no single one is the same), and applauding these, any criticism (no matter how well put and constructive) is seen as weakness or failure. But this doesn't work!

De Gea stays deep to give him longer to react to shots, meaning he is going to have to make extension saves as players look for space in the corners (as they see more of goal). He combines super reflexes with amazing natural agility to pull off those miracle saves bouncing around the 'tube.

That's him and his style down to a tee, in a nutshell. With other systems and other defenders or defensive appproaches, this is out of place. Just as him sweeping up is out of position for him.

If United bring in Begovic as a replacement for him (as has been talked about time and time again, with Butland eager to take over), then they have another strong, save orientated goalkeeper, who is comfortable to sit behind a strong backline, the atypical 4-4-2 of English football, and make glorious saves based on angles and channeling shots via defensive strategy. Again, NOT a sweeper keeper, or that of what van Gaal wants.

van Gaal, if allowed to, will implement a system from top to bottom, like Mourinho, and his views on goalkeepers and where they are in the team and how they work with, and aid, the team, will come to the fore.


For note - go and check out Vermeer's implosion, Ajax, dutch football, and the origins of sweepers and attacking systems (i.e. van Gaal started it as coached systems - hint, hint!).

The Valdes question 

Valdes was a steal move for United, kind of like Harry Redknapp working his magic on the transfer window at the time. Sure, he suffered a major season ending injury, but it's not the end of the world. Craig Gordon and Keiren Westwood have both had amazingly strong seasons after coming back from major career affecting injuries, and proven those who turned their backs, dead wrong. Valdes came in on a free. De Gea would go out with profit. 0 + profit = money = money to spend elsewhere on the squad! Attracting top level players who would have to postpone CLeague football costs money!

Casillas & Madrid's revenue

Casillas is looking like a man who doesn't want to play in goal anymore. It's as if you're seeing someone who has spent their entire life in a profession or art etc. and they deciding it's not for them. He plays like a Sunday league goalie who doesn't want to be there at times. And it shows.

Sure, a little hyperbolic, but I really think he needs to go on a sabbatical. He's burnt out. Simple as. You don't play for that long (Spain's no1 at 19), all those competitions and all the training that goes without, and still have the energy. You don't. He needs to recharge his batteries and refind his form. 

Why on earth spend all that money on a goalkeeper who outperforms your starter in training, outperformed him at the world cup and worked his ass off to get a look in at the club, only to WARM THE BENCH! Yes,  Ancelotti, I'm looking at you!! Keylor Navas is too good to be sitting on a bench at a top club.

Casillas looks like a goalkeeper who has lost the fight and drive to play at this standard (as mentioned). You don't always have it your way; the best athletes (and goalies) are not ones who have it easy and are uber popular, but the ones that work and fight hard to follow the dream, and fight for their team. Casillas doesn't battle, he just looks like he wants to be subbed off the pitch and go home.

Add in the fact that De Gea is now pretty much a superstar, and a household name, he can bring a fair amount of cash with him. Bringing in star players like Bale to Madrid, or Neymar to Barca, results in ridiculous sales for Barca and Madrid, which they use (along with TV rights) to play their players. It's basically an opportunity to print money. Both clubs are the best in Spain, and the Spanish league and international set-up probably suffers as a result.

Add in the fact that De Gea is heir apparent for Spain, Spain need a better class goalie to aim to win another World Cup, and that any other options - like Reina (who wait all season for a game and then get sent off!!), are not up to scratch, and you can see a pattern emerging. De Gea to Madrid doesn't require a degree in rocket science to put together.

He's a better fit

I'll say it once, and I'll say it again. Even if he doesn't go yet, I still think De Gea is better for Madrid. His girlfriend isn't happy with him being in England (compare that to Lloris moving his family to London), he was a little homesick in his first season and more. He will get Champions League football at Madrid, he will be able to play in a more defensive system (rather than playing as sweeper out of position so to speak), and can woo international coaches up close and personal.

He's young, has proved he has elite traits, and has a very reflex based style that fits with a static, rather than mobile, defensive line. Coming out to collect crosses is not an issue outside England because it's not the reality of the game in Spain. He won't have to play in a different style he is used to, no longer having to play as a sweeper, he will bring in buckets of money to Madrid, and he will be given a platform to take over the Spanish no. 1 shirt.

I'm sure United fans will be sorry to see him go, but for De Gea, personally and for his career, I can see it happening pretty soon.

Valdes can be great for United

By acquiring the services of newly ex-Barca goalkeeper, Manchester United not only managed to deny any opponents points by getting him on the team sheet themselves, but more importantly potentially provided Van Gaal with the cure to his current problem. Should he be brave enough to risk it, Van Gaal has at his disposal a veteran goalkeeper who just happens to be one of the best distributors of the ball in the game from in between the posts. To anyone outside the club, this looks to be a Harry Redknapp style bargain transfer deal. And yet, he hasn't yet featured in a game yet, even that of a less important cup fixture.

Everyone knows that Van Gaal prefers the Ajax system of which the newly appointed predecessor to Moyes and Ferguson is looking to implement in North West England (after all, he was a central fit to establishing it in the first place!), and Valdes as a goalkeeper can easily become the missing link in a system that revolves around ball retention and link play to create a constant press high up the pitch whilst keeping possession. Therefore a goalkeeper in this system has to be good at their feet. The very thing Valdes is famed for. Yes, that's right; the proverbial modern 'sweeper keeper' that is becoming more and more popular with the likes of Neuer pushing it to its limits and Ter Stegen (another not-so-typical German goalie, both seemingly fighting for the no1 shirt soon enough) shifting the ball from both feet.

It is pretty obvious then that Van Gaal chooses his goalkeepers to fit the system off ball retention and pushing high up the pitch, with the skillset to match; hence why Krul was saved for penalties and why Cillissen got the starts, due to his abilities in playing the ball and in 1-on-1 situations (which arise from a high line and gaps opening up for attackers to slip through). Ironically Vorm can do both; known for his penalty killing abilities alongside his inarguable sweeping technique, but it seemed coaching staff were more worried about injury concerns and not being involved in the qualifying stages for the team to be used to him.

Anyway, for a manager that is happy to take the risk of switching goalkeepers going into extra time in a World Cup semi-final of all things, gambling on the penalty saving skills of that choice, with the chips down on a shootout, for it to pay off, I can't see what the problem is. Whilst De Gea has been amazing (those saves stemming from his deep positioning and athletic style), he is a totally different style of goalkeeper than Valdes, and without Victor, Van Gaal's system won't work as well as it can.

Teams that have missed out on Valdes

With Valdes signing for Man United in the January transfer window, after rehabbing his season and career ending injury (at least in terms of encouraging his move away!) at Barcelona, in a move similar to that of Craig Gordon making a comeback at Celtic, it is worth looking back at other teams that could or should have made a move for him, and why.

• Liverpool

Other than struggling with crosses and save making compared to his breakout season with the club where it looked like he could take them to a title finish (), Mignolet isn't too confident playingan outlet pass from the back and doesn't look too comfortable playing behind a high line. Unfortunately for him, this is something that works well for the team under Brendan Rogers and is likely to be difficult in the long run. Ironically this is the same role that Reina provided (now content to simply warm the bunch for that well known Ballon D'Or contendor at Munich) and played so well in when he was at the Kop. However, instead of simply bringing him back into the fold, Liverpudlian management have made a major boob losing his services. Not only is he a suitable shot stopper, Valdes would be a perfect fit for a team that needs their goalkeeper to have the feet of a midfielder.

• Arsenal

Given that Wenger finally gave Ospina his first Premier League start after a long wait without much playing time to adjust to the British game on loan or for the U21's, it seems the veteran French manager may finally take a gamble on his goalkeeping options. With dissent supposed to be brewing in the dressing room and a calmer head needed for their goalkeeper of choice, Valdes could capably bring more to the table than others. With Martinez getting bench time after a strong oan time at Sheffield Wednesday,it's safe to say they could cash in on their Polish star and reuse funds to invest in a new strikeforce perhaps. After all, the Gunners are another team that love to push forward, with a fair amount of fans screaming at the missed chance to bring in Lloris against their rivals, who are currently loving his sweeper keeping successes (with Vorm also brought in to fill that role in Europe and cup games).

•  Leicester or Southampton

Victor has made it pretty clear that he wants to try out pastures nwe and see more of the world after a long and famous career as franchise goalkeeper at Barcelona. With Ter Stegen proving easily how much of a dab hand (or foot should I say!) moving the ball accurately from both feet - you wouldn't believe how rare this is for a top class 'keeper, thus making him much of a keeper for the Catalans down the road! Monaco are doing fine with their bargain, underrated Slovak, Sirigu has solidified his spot, so unless he fancies a trip State side, the UK would be a good start.

A very outfield theory, but the newly promoted side are in dire need of goalkeepers with Schmeichel injured.

Personally, I think he would make a great starter at Southampton. Pochettini set up the groundworks for a high line needing a sweeper keeper, and Valdes can offer this in spades. Doing well and likely to want to try their hand at European competition, Valdes' veteran experiences in the Champions League would be so useful. That and he could provide suitable tutelage to Gazzaniga he has proven his own sweeper abilities and could have the mentorship of Victor to iron out the technique, sometimes getting caught on the backfoot by his communication skills with his defenders, instead of pushing up to clear.

For now, that's all I can really think of, as there aren't too many top tier teams looking for a goalkeeper, and Real Madrid might not want to take on a previous player of their arch rivals!