Sport
dirty gloves s2 e8 •
In the hands of David De Gea
The Spanish goalkeeper kept Fiorentina in the game whilst hope hung by a thread and the team teetered on the brink against Inter. Then his team-mates ruined it all, yet again
David De Gea’s save against Inter
Against Inter – and not just against Inter – Fiorentina found themselves relying on David De Gea. The Viola found themselves hanging on to the grubby gloves of the goalkeeper in the number 43 shirt, whilst hope and the abyss hung in the balance.
In this new, difficult season for Fiorentina – with the club always teetering on the brink of collapse – the goalkeeper is carving out a role that goes beyond that of the number one. He has become a kind of miracle-working guru to whom all his teammates turn in the midst of the storm, seeking hope for a better tomorrow. Because the present… well, the present is as bleak and dreary as certain suburbs that have been in the hands of speculators and unimaginative surveyors for far too long.
Fiorentina, too, is a suburb of this sort. It thought itself a city centre; it had invested in a facelift to appear worthy of the VIP quarters, only to find itself resembling certain buildings which, despite their refurbished façades, remain exactly what they are: ill-conceived and poorly built, cut off from everything, but at least offering a lovely view of the countryside. That lovely view is David De Gea, the latest (and only?) hope of finding a little beauty amidst the desolation. Because beauty can be found even in desolation.
At San Siro, the Viola fans saw it in the 35th minute, when David De Gea stretched to his right to parry Francesco Pio Esposito’s header, which looked set to find the net and cap a good half-hour of Nerazzurri dominance. Instead, the Spaniard said ‘No’, restoring dignity to the underdog overwhelmed by the stronger side. He did so for almost ninety minutes, saving everything possible and beyond what was reasonable. Then his team-mates put in another Fantozzian disaster, rendering his resistance futile.
The three best saves from matchday eight of Serie A
1. David De Gea in the 35th minute of Inter v Fiorentina 2–1 – 5 points
2. Justin Bijlow in the 91st minute of Genoa v Venezia 1–0 – 3 points
3. Pierluigi Gollini (joint) in the 43rd minute of Napoli v Roma 3–3 – 1 point
3. joint 8th: Chrīstos Mandas in the 8th minute of Lazio v Parma 2–1 – 1 point
The ranking
1. Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone), 12 points
2. David De Gea (Fiorentina), Filip Stanković (Venezia), 11 points
4. Chrīstos Mandas (Lazio), 8 points
5. Mike Maignan (Milan), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), 6 points
7. Wladimiro Falcone (Lecce), 5 points
8. Justin Bijlow (Genoa), Edoardo Corvi (Parma), Josep Martínez (Inter), Alex Meret (Napoli), Maduka Okoye (Udinese), Lucas Perri (Torino), 3 points
14. Elia Caprile (Cagliari), Pierluigi Gollini (Roma), Vanja Milinković-Savić (Napoli), 1 point
2. David De Gea (Fiorentina), Filip Stanković (Venezia), 11 points
4. Chrīstos Mandas (Lazio), 8 points
5. Mike Maignan (Milan), Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), 6 points
7. Wladimiro Falcone (Lecce), 5 points
8. Justin Bijlow (Genoa), Edoardo Corvi (Parma), Josep Martínez (Inter), Alex Meret (Napoli), Maduka Okoye (Udinese), Lucas Perri (Torino), 3 points
14. Elia Caprile (Cagliari), Pierluigi Gollini (Roma), Vanja Milinković-Savić (Napoli), 1 point
What you have just read is "Guanti sporchi", a light-hearted football-themed piece about Serie A’s number ones and the save that somehow made the football weekend all the better – at least from the perspective of that minority who dress differently from the rest on the pitch. You can find all previous instalments here.
