Pep Guardiola didn’t make a single substitution during Manchester City’s Champions League draw with RB Leipzig.
Ilkay Gundogan believes Manchester City are equipped to deal with playing a full match without substitutions, as what happened in Wednesday’s draw with RB Leipzig.
City returned to Champions League action for the first leg of their last 16 tie and came away from Germany with a 1-1 stalemate. The Blues dominated the first half and took the lead through a fine Riyad Mahrez strike.
Just like at Nottingham Forest, though, Pep Guardiola’s side failed to take their chances and lost their lead after Josko Gvardiola equalised with a powerful header. Leipzig were well worthy of the leveller after pushing City back for all of the second half but after the goal, the Blues rallied and were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty in the dying moments for a handball from Benjamin Henrich.
Guardiola made the rare and unusual decision not to make a single substitution, even when City’s backs were against the wall, and Gundogan has given his verdict on the ploy. “It’s nothing we are not used to,” he said.
“He [Guardiola] will have his reasons not to make a sub. I felt like everyone on the pitch was feeling ok and was fresh and able to compete for the whole 90 minutes. It’s something we have to accept. We had good chances at the end to get a winner, but we’ll take the result and try to do better in the next game.”
After the match, Guardiola sarcastically explained that just because he has the substitutions it doesn’t mean he has to make them before adding a bit of detail to his thinking. He admitted he considered bringing on Phil Foden but was impressed with how his side reacted to conceding the goal and expressed the need for control.
“I was really pleased with what I was seeing,” he said. “With Phil to have this talent to do this, after the goal I thought immediately to bring Phil but we took the game in our hands.
“With this control. Because they play with six upfront. Two fullbacks as wingers, four players incredible runners. Those positions you need control. That’s why the players we had, Gundogan, Riyad [Mahrez], you need extra passes.
“Especially in the first leg, maybe second leg I decide to be crazy and play nine strikers and make up and downs. In this game I felt, I’ve been in this country and I need this type of control. Up and downs, it’s open, one or two actions from Gundo to give the ball to Erling they block it. These situations, German teams are better than us.”
Ederson’s critics should be careful what they wish for at Man City
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has been coming in for criticism in recent weeks.
There is a narrative brewing amongst a large portion of Manchester City fans, one which many will be unaware of and would become baffled once they were. One that claims Ederson isn’t that good.
The sentiment, which has been growing in certain pockets of social media for weeks, isn’t completely without merit and tends to focus on his shot-stopping ability. Some supporters have been growing increasingly angsty because in the last four games before Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig, the Brazilian had conceded the first shot on target he had faced.
That stat was a perfect example of how numbers can be skewed to any argument when you completely ignore context, though. One goal was a back-post tap-in after City had been ripped open, two more were one-on-ones after calamitous errors from outfielders and the other was a penalty. Ederson did give the spot kick away with a clumsy foul against Arsenal but that’s an occupational hazard for a goalkeeper who is quick off his line and it’s rare those sorts of infringements are punished.
Man City goalkeeper Ederson has come under heavy criticism in recent weeks (Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Ederson has never been an amazing shot-stopper and he rarely pulls out remarkable, grasping saves of which David de Gea is so capable but, in turn, he does the basics generally well and it’s rare that a ball squirms past him at the near post like his opposite number at Manchester United.
The fact is Ederson doesn’t need to be a great stopper of shots because City so rarely concedes them thanks to what he brings to the side. City are able to push opposing teams so high up the pitch and reduce them to few opportunities precisely because the outfielders can trust Ederson behind them to be alert to any sudden danger and to be comfortable in possession.
Rather than errors in facing shots, the mistakes Ederson makes far more often are getting caught out miles away from his goal or being a bit sloppy on the ball. But that’s just par for the course and an accepted risk when playing with a goalkeeper who is so involved in the play and is asked to always be on the front foot. It’s a risk that pays off more often than not as it makes City so difficult to play against.
Ederson moved to partially answer many of his critics in Leipzig. Not only did he break the cursed streak by saving the first shot on target against him but in the second half, when City’s backs were against the wall, he made a series of excellent saves. The one from Andre Silva just after the hour mark was particularly brilliant, the boisterous home crowd thought they’d scored but his quick feet and even faster hands batted away the shot from close range.
He kept the Blues in the game as Leipzig bombarded the City goal but just when he had seemed to respond well to the criticism heading his way, he added a bit more fuel to the fire. The 29-year-old got lost coming off his line to claim a corner and seemed to shrink under the colossal shadow of a leaping Josko Gvardiol who headed home.
It was a bullet header which may have been difficult to stop even if he was on his line and Ruben Dias also gets a slice of the blame after being out-jumped, but the error has certainly given more ammunition to the anti-Ederson camp. It’s reasonable, as is a much more honest stat that can be pointed towards.
Ederson’s save percentage of 57.9 per cent is the second-lowest in the Premier League with only the bottom side Southampton’s goalkeeper, former City man Gavin Bazunu, below him. It again ignores that the goals Ederson had tended to concede have either been unstoppable wonder strikes or from close range after defensive errors but it still doesn’t read well. There has been somewhat of a drop-off when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net.
No one should be undroppable in a team and perhaps being left out of one or two games he would normally start could actually benefit Ederson? It could be the kick up the rear end needed to improve his game and let him know his place isn’t ironclad regardless of what happens.
Stefan Ortega is sitting in reserve and he has shown in his few displays this season, especially against Chelsea, that he is capable of making spectacular saves. It seems to be a decision many of Ederson’s detractors are calling for.
But absence makes the heart grow fonder and there’s many a tale of footballers growing in stature when they’ve not been on the pitch. It’s seemingly already been forgotten that Ortega put in a stinker in the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton and City looked at a loss without Ederson starting the play.
The no.31 has shortcomings but you would be hard-pressed to name a goalkeeper in the world who could adequately replace him. The very few who could are of the highest level and won’t be leaving their clubs any time soon. So what exactly is the solution? Jamie Trafford is certainly a promising prospect but he’s still got a lot of development to do.
City would not have enjoyed their ridiculous success over the last five years without Ederson allowing them to play the way they do and those who wish to see him out of the side should be careful what they wish for.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
