De Gea Striving For More

David De Gea reflects on the season so far and discusses and his own impressive form...

We showed we can compete with Chelsea and City in the recent matches against them – what do we need to do to make that extra step to get back alongside them in the table?
Manchester United is a huge club and will always be there or thereabouts. In terms of the league table and the position we’re in we are not far away. All we can do is work hard and try to keep improving and it’s important that we completely concentrate on ourselves and not look too much at others.

There have been plenty of encouraging signs in our play but we’ve not been able to get the consistency we’d like – why is that?
We would never use excuses but it’s always going to be a big setback when we have injuries and some sendings-off as well. It makes everyone’s work that bit more difficult. In terms of maintaining a solid level of performance we need to have the consistency of players in the squad so hopefully everyone will be fit very soon. That will help us continue to improve.

From your position on the field have you been able to see the team evolving in recent weeks?
Yes, having an overview of the whole pitch makes it easy for me to see that we are more compact and are making it very difficult for other teams to create opportunities to score. I feel we have some of the best strikers in the world playing for us – we just need to take our chances and reap the rewards of the opportunities we’re creating. Goals win games and winning games gets us points and we need to keep picking up more.

Is there a specific message or directive the manager has been trying to drill home to the players in recent weeks?
He is just instilling a lot of confidence into all the players, and because he is putting his confidence into us we need to make sure we do our job for him and keep getting the victories we need. We must do that week in, week out.

The City game was another example of having to cope with defensive problems before and during the game – can you believe the bad luck we’ve had with injuries in particular?
I must say I have never experienced this at any of my past clubs. We’ve had so much bad luck and it’s made it difficult to maintain the high level of consistency and performance that we need with so many injuries. Hopefully we can get the injured players back as soon as possible.

As a goalkeeper how do you deal with an ever-changing back four?
It obviously makes things very difficult but that’s football and it’s my job to be able to adapt to different situations. As a goalkeeper it’s important to form a good understanding with your back four and become familiar with each other’s positions on the pitch. It’s difficult when the players aren’t there but you have to adapt and concentrate on your job. The experience has definitely helped me improve.

You’ve said you’re playing the best football of your career – how do you go about maintaining that form?
It’s important for me to train hard and try to improve in every session so I can maintain the same level of fitness and concentration. That’s my aim.

Has your progress with the Spanish national team and the World Cup experience been a big factor in the way you have grown?
Yes, it gives you a lot of confidence when you receive a call-up to your national team and you’re in the starting XI. I certainly feel it has helped me improve my concentration and it makes you feel very good in your position at your club when you can represent your country.

Which game have you been most pleased with this season from a personal point of view?
I’d have to say the Everton match. It was probably my personal best performance but the biggest thing for me was helping the team achieve a big three points.

What’s the biggest improvement you’ve made in your game in the last 12 months?
I’d say my all-round performance has improved, but especially my concentration and being more tactically aware. I’ve really focused on my work in training to make sure I can produce the performances that are needed on the pitch. As a Manchester United player, you never stop learning and improving and you always have to strive to keep doing better.