Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson is well-established to be the world’s best goalkeeper when it comes to having the ball at his feet, the Brazilian is seen as a vital cog in Pep Guardiola’s side and has appeared 266 times for the Blues since signing in July 2017.
However, Ederson’s shot-stopping and rash decision-making have caused City many issues in the past, blunders against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, and his decision to come for the ball against Kai Havertz in the Champions League final are just a few examples of massive games in which the 29-year-old has had a contributing factor in costing City. So far this season, Ederson has the worst save percentage in the Premier League for goalkeepers who have made 12+ appearances according to WhoScored, boasting a dismal 55.7% save rate for the defending Premier League champions.
There have been hardly any occasions in recent memory where I can recall Ederson receiving Man of the Match or making a genuine elite save to keep City in the lead. Despite rivals Liverpool being two games off the quadruple last season, there was an argument for their goalkeeper Alisson to be Player of the Year. Last year’s Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool saw Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois win Man of the Match by making a ridiculous nine saves, despite the two previously mentioned goalkeepers not being as good with their feet as City’s number one, they still possess quality with their distribution in order to be the number one for their clubs whilst also being genuine world-class shot-stoppers and have been the key in their respective sides winning knockout competitions.
I feel Ederson limits City in the Champions League and doesn’t possess the shot-stopping ability in order to save City in certain moments. I would love to see Pep Guardiola adopt similar tactics to Luis Enrique in Barcelona’s 2014/15 treble-winning season, with Enrique preferring Claudio Bravo for league matches as the Chilean was a much better distributor and was necessary for his side’s build-up. However, Marc-André ter Stegen was Enrique’s Champions League goalkeeper and the decision was a masterstroke. I feel City would benefit from using Ederson as the Premier League goalkeeper, and Stefan Ortega for the Champions League knockouts.
Guardiola will need Ederson to be at the races tomorrow afternoon as his side faces an away trip to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, a ground in which City haven’t scored in their previous four attempts.