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Spain coach Luis Enrique has defended David De Gea after the Manchester United goalkeeper made another disappointing performance for his country in a 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League.
Viktor Tsygankov’s 76th minute winner on Tuesday night saw De Gea out of position as Spain suffered their first loss since November 2018.
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The visitors had dominated the game in Kiev, firing 21 shots against the two from Ukraine, but were unable to seize their opportunities before being attacked on the counterattack.
The performance raised more questions about Spain’s lack of a reliable No. 1, and a natural scorer at the other end of the field, ahead of next summer’s European Championship.
“You can always do more,” Luis Enrique said in his post-match press conference when asked about De Gea’s responsibility for the goal. “But the guilt [De Gea]… it’s a bad habit, you [journalists] I love doing it “.
“We could all do more, me first. When you get a cake, you share it, and when you get a plate of food that goes bad, you share it too. We all could have done more, but in a game like this, yeah You blame De Gea, let’s finish and go home. “
De Gea has started all four of Spain’s Nations League games this season, while Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga was chosen for a 0-0 draw with Portugal last week.
De Gea, 29, who joined United from Atlético de Madrid in 2011, has been constantly criticized in Spain for his performance with the national team, more so since his disastrous performance at the 2018 World Cup.
It has held its place, in part, due to a lack of reliable alternatives. Kepa had been seen as De Gea’s successor after his € 80 million transfer to Chelsea in 2018, but he has struggled in England ever since.
Kepa’s mistakes in Chelsea’s opening Premier League matches against Brighton and Liverpool saw the club sign Edouard Mendy from Rennes as a possible replacement.
Despite Tuesday’s loss, Spain continues to lead their Nations League Group 4 with seven points, ahead of Germany, which drew 3-3 with Switzerland.
