Blues duo take Euro diversion to Belgium!
PEP Guardiola has explained why Brazil pair Ederson and Gabriel Jesus flew straight to Belgium after playing for their country on Thursday night.
The two Blues were initially expected back in the UK on Friday, and were ruled out of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Burnley as they would be back too late to be considered.
But it emerged City decided to fly them directly to Belgium, where they will face Club Brugge in an important Champions League group game tomorrow night.
Zack Steffen stood in for Ederson against the Clarets, but the Blues’ No.1 is expected to return between the sticks in a game City cannot afford to lose after going down to Paris Saint-Germain last time out.
That decision was based on the differing rules over Covid between the UK and Belgium.
“They are in Belgium right now,” said Guardiola. “They told me that they can play on Tuesday, but we will see in what condition they are.
“We have time to prepare the training session because we have to train here (in the UK). They will not be here so I have to think about it.
“But we sent the the Belgium because the day after the game in Bruges they can come back and make a normal life.
“If they had come back here directly to Manchester they would have to have isolated for 10 days in a hotel and we didn’t want that and that is why they travelled to Belgium.”
The complication comes because it was their trip to Colombia, a UK red list country, on October 10, that would have forced them to quarantine on return to this country, rather than Thursday’s home game against Uruguay.
Belgium has different rules, not requiring a quarantine, and the players have been told they will be available to play, which is a relief to the City boss with a busy schedule ahead.
Guardiola added: “Maybe they will be able to play and that is good news and after Brighton, the Carabao Cup and all the other games we have ahead of us they will be ready.”
The pair have been based at City’s sister club Lommel SK, and were guests of honour for their Second Division fixture against Mouscron over the weekend.
Lommel tweeted: “Today we can welcometwo special guests for our match against Mouscron. Man City stars Ederson Moraes and Gabriel Jesus are coming to cheer on our Lommel SK today!”
Guardiola, meanwhile, praised City’s goalkeeping coaches for improving Steffen.
The US stopper is into his second season with the first-team squad and stepped in effortlessly on Saturday.
Steffen was tested a number of times as Maxwell Cornet in particular proved a handful for the City defence, yet the keeper was equal to everything that came at him.
Guardiola has not hesitated to
play Steffen in domestic cup games, and spoke of the development he has made training not just with his fellow goalkeepers at the Etihad but with the coaching staff that have helped to improve him.
“With the last games he played in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and today, he’s growing incredibly fast and well as a keeper, working on site with Xabi [Mancisidor] and Richard [Wright],” said the Blues boss.
“He’s a much better keeper than when he arrived because we have maybe the best keeper trainer in the world. We have incredible confidence with him because when he has to save the ball he saves it.
“We’re very happy and delighted with what he has done.”
City’s hard work at the back continued their excellent record this season, with just three goals conceded from their eight leagues games; one of those came on the opening day of the season at Tottenham and the only other match they have failed to keep a clean sheet in was Liverpool away.