CHRIS SUTTON: Solskjaer should have brought Henderson on for penalties

CHRIS SUTTON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a mistake… Manchester United boss should have brought on Dean Henderson for the penalty shootout

  • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may regret his decision not to make a goalkeeper change
  • Manchester United boss should have brought on Dean Henderson for shootout
  • Englishman’s record of saving penalties is far superior to David De Gea’s stats
  • It may have hurt De Gea’s feelings but it could have won United the trophy 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer missed a trick here. Dean Henderson’s record of saving penalties is ridiculously better than David De Gea’s. 

Yet while Villarreal were burying all of their spot-kicks beyond De Gea in last night’s shootout, Henderson was watching on from the sidelines.

Louis van Gaal replaced Holland goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen with Tim Krul in the 120th minute of their 2014 World Cup quarter final against Costa Rica. That worked out pretty well. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer missed a trick keeping David De Gea on for the penalty shootout

Louis van Gaal was rewarded for his brave call when he brought on Tim Krul in the World Cup

Solskjaer could have copied Van Gaal. It might have hurt De Gea’s feelings but it would have been for the good of the team. Unfortunately, Manchester United’s players ended up leaving with runners-up medals around their necks.  

PENALTY RECORDS: 

IN ALL COMPS SINCE START OF 2017-18 (not including shootouts):

  • David De Gea has faced 16 penalties and has conceded all 16
  • Dean Henderson has faced 15 penalties and conceded just 8

I feel for De Gea missing the ultimate spot-kick. He would have never expected it to come around to him. It takes balls to step up to that spot. 

I participated in a few penalty shootouts with Celtic. It’s almost 20 years since Valencia knocked us out of the Europa League. 

Poor Joos Valgaeren missed his first penalty, then a retake was ordered because the goalkeeper was off his line. Valgaeren took it again, and missed again. As he made his way back to the halfway line, he asked the referee if he could have a third go! 

I can look back and laugh now – but it definitely wasn’t funny at the time. Henrik Larsson and Stilian Petrov missed theirs, too. 

It’s about how you handle the pressure when that moment of truth comes. Sadly De Gea couldn’t make the heroic saves necessary and he couldn’t score when it was his turn.

Solskjaer will no doubt spend some time wondering whether he could have played this differently, and what might have happened if he had.

The Manchester United boss will reflect on what might have happened had he made  change




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