Pep Guardiola explained that he “just wanted to change something” when justifying his decision to bench Ederson for Manchester City’s crucial match against Liverpool on Sunday.
The reigning champions had conceded 17 goals in their last six matches, all of which ended in failure to win. While Ederson has faced challenges due to limited defensive support, the Brazilian goalkeeper was at fault during City’s 3-3 draw with Feyenoord, where he lost a 50-50 duel with Igor Paixao in the build-up to a late equalizer.
Stefan Ortega, City’s reliable backup, was given the nod to start in his first Premier League match of the season, in what was arguably the most important game of City’s campaign. It marked just the eighth time Ederson had been named a substitute in the Premier League.
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Asked about the surprise decision, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “We just wanted to change something. Eddy [Ederson] has saved a lot of goals for us, one-on-ones many times, but I decided to pick Stefan [Ortega] today. Both are incredibly top goalkeepers; they’re both excellent with their feet and in one-on-ones. Since he arrived, we’ve had two incredible goalkeepers.”
He continued: “Basically, the players [who start] are more fit. That’s the reason why. I could have made a few other changes, but in the starting XI, I focused on having more rhythm and more legs. I know what Ruben [Dias] can bring in terms of leadership.”