Penalty heroics can’t mask Bravo’s failings as stand-in fails to impress

HE might have been the final player to touch the ball and win the match after 120 minutes of action and nine penalties, but there’s little doubt that, other than from 12 yards, the ability of Claudio Bravo to be a goalkeeper at an elite level remains questionable.

The soundtrack to the Chilean’s debut season for Manchester City could have been the theme from ‘Jaws’.

He was the supposed “sweeper-keeper” recruited to spearhead Pep Guardiola’s assault on the Premier League – the man who replaced City favourite Joe Hart.

Yet after this unpredictable performance, perhaps the real bravo must go to Guardiola for recognising the Chilean’s faults and pushing for the summer signing of Ederson.

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The last time Bravo appeared at the King Power Stadium, he conceded four goals and Leicester’s players revealed afterwards they had specifically targeted him. He was at it again here, giving his defenders and Guardiola the shakes whenever he lined up to pass the ball to a sky-blue shirt. His punching was also erratic and it remains a mystery why Leicester did not target him again, as they did 12 months ago.

It was only Bravo’s fourth City appearance of the season but served as a grisly reminder of Guardiola’s first campaign, when certain pundits were queuing up to write off the man who had achieved near perfection with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

There was a decent save from former City forward Kelechi Iheanacho in the 35th minute, yet there was still that uncertainty, the element of surprise that should have given Claude Puel’s players hope.

Ederson is the man now, by some distance. Guardiola identified the problem quickly and Ederson is a clear upgrade. While the focus has inevitably been on the brilliant Kevin De Bruyne, slouching on the sofa last night, the signing of the Brazilian goalkeeper from Benfica for £35 million cannot be underestimated. He has provided authority, assurance and, crucially, stability. It has already been suggested that he is just as important to City as David De Gea is to United.

If Ederson was to ever get injured, the prospect of Bravo returning to Premier League duty would surely keep Guardiola awake at night. Perhaps another goalkeeper, as a dependable No 2, should be a priority in January – unless he needs one to keep for the shoot-outs. (© Daily Telegraph, London)