CITY City’s Plan B started with Ed’s Route One
CITY’S winning goal at Schalke must have left those critics that accuse Pep Guardiola of having no Plan B disappointed.
Not only did Raheem Sterling’s strike come after a tactical switch left him out on the right but the goal was unashamedly Route One – something that many of the Plan B crowd enjoy.
Ederson caught Guardiola’s eye when the then-Bayern Munich manager was preparing for a Champions League encounter and saw the missile of a left foot on the Benfica keeper. Since arriving at the Etihad, Ederson’s kicking game has been a useful weapon by allowing the Blues to immediately turn defence into attack (although, ironically, Claudio Bravo picked up an assist before him in last season’s league cup final).
The Brazilian keeper picked up his first assist in a City shirt back in August when Sergio Aguero latched onto his pinpoint ball and beat the Huddersfield defence, making his ball for Sterling at the Veltins Arena assist number two for the season. City fans were keen to point out the high-profile players that Ederson has created more goals than this season. They include former targets Fred (one) and Jorginho (zero), as well as Liverpool’s Naby Keita and Sadio Mane.
Benjamin Mendy was keen to point out that Kyle Walker is also lagging behind, and in total 15 City players have played this season and managed fewer than two assists.
Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho (both three) may also need to look over their shoulder.
And while not all of these players are expected to provide assists for their teams, neither is Ederson.