SoccerBlogs

Fascinating story on Marca,com that Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has caught the attention of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal.

Marca writes that Arsène Wenger isn't happy with the performances put in by Szczesny and that Iker would be an ideal signing for the Gunners. There are also rumours in England that Real Madrid could be interested in De Gea, in anticipation that Casillas will leave 'Los Blancos'.

David de Gea's saves justify his place in Team of the Year - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Although David de Gea was thought to be frail and not-capable of filling the shoes of Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford but the Spaniard is only 22 years old and already he has made it into the PFA Team of the Year only in his second season in England.

Gareth Bale has become just the third man to be crowned PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same season. Bale picked up the two trophies tonight in an awards ceremony, and joins Andy Gray and Cristiano Ronaldo on the proud achievement.

Meanwhile in London, the Professional Footballers' Association named their PFA Team of the Year, which was:

De Gea (Manchester United), Zabaleta (Manchester City), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur), Baines (Everton), Hazard (Chelsea), Carrick (Manchester United), Mata (Chelsea), Bale (Tottenham Hotspur), Suarez (Liverpool), Van Persie (Manchester United)

What's your opinion about the PFA Team of the Year and whether there are any glaring omissions or players you feel that shouldn't have been selected?

Much like midweek, this report is hard to write. It's main purpose is to push the annoying picture at the top of the last post out of sight down the page. I've heard some people say that Utd fans don't get as much excitement and feeling from their team's football compared to the drama of watching, say, a team like QPR fight against relegation because Utd 'win most of the time anyway'.

Chris Smalling of Manchester United-Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Manchester United return to Old Trafford to face Reading in the FA Cup Fifth Round after a spirited performance against Real Madrid midweek. The Red Devils return to England without suffering any additional injuries from their trip to Spain, while the Royals are coming off a run of excellent performances as of late.

The amount of hostility that David De Gea receives each week is somewhat bemusing to me. I know he's made mistakes, but so have many other world class goalkeepers. In a way, it is part of the job, and especially so in the EPL where punishing mistakes is a big part of the game. The speed and intensity of matches is what makes watching the Premier League so much fun, but it also causes teams (and goalkeepers) to make errors.

Following City's draw against QPR, Utd had a chance to push the league lead back up to seven points against Southampton last night. Whilst the outcome was ultimately the one required, Sir Alex's post-match statement that Southampton were 'the best side to play here this season' highlighted that this was no one-sided contest.

Since joining Manchester United, David de Gea has been under an incredible amount of pressure to perform, with every mistake scrutinised. Whilst other goalkeepers, like Joe Hart or Pepe Reina, have been guilty of several mistakes too, they tend to be brushed under the carpet. It's the popular thing to do to have a go at De Gea.

David de Gea has hailed the influence of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, claiming that he isn't just a manager, but a father figure for the players.

"Sir Alex is more than a manager," said De Gea. "He controls everything in the team. He's a father for all those who come to the club.

The press in this country are very confused about David de Gea. One minute they are highlighting every mistake as though he is one of the worst keepers in the league and the next they are claiming he is about to join Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Following stories linking him with a return to Spain, De Gea has claimed he would like to return one day, but wants to stay in Manchester for a long time and win a lot of trophies first.

David de Gea has been called up to the Spain national team for their World Cup qualifying games against Finland and France, following the injury of Real Madrid's Iker Casillas.

"I am very pleased and happy," he told As. "This is a special moment for me and a big step in my career.

Following some excellent performances in February, David de Gea has been voted our player of the month on the official site.

"It's very good to have the support of the fans, so I'm happy to win this award," De Gea told the official site. "I can hear the supporters during the games so I know they're singing about me.

Following weeks of unfair criticism in the press, David de Gea answered all his critics with a blinding performance at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid.

There had been some rumours in the press that De Gea was prepared to leave the club in the summer but our Spanish keeper has confirmed he is happy in Manchester.

On Monday night, Gary Neville went in to great detail to explain why David de Gea was at fault for conceding Spurs' late equaliser against United. Neville even showed a slow motion replay of the "five or six second stare" that Nemanja Vidic gave De Gea after the goal went in.

Whilst most people would agree that Neville is an excellent pundit, who fans of all teams (including City and Liverpool!

FC Barcelona celebrates (Google Creative Commons)

After another horrific defeat to Bayern Munich this past Wednesday, Barcelona will officially start their rebuilding this summer. The team was man handled throughout the two games against Bayern Munich, which let the club know that the world is now catching up to their tiki taka style of play.