Ederson closing in on my assists record!
SOMEONE told me recently that I hold the record for most Premier League assists by a goalkeeper — but it’s a record that Ederson is going to break very, very soon. I come from a school of keeping goals out, not setting them up, but today’s keepers are so different and Ederson is one of the best.
He acts as an extra man when defenders are passing the ball around at the back and then he can pick out the kind of pass that set Ilkay Gundogan on his way for Manchester City’s third goal against Tottenham yesterday. He is phenomenal. No wonder he fancied taking City’s penalty.
That’s 13 clean sheets since City lost 2-0 at White Hart Lane at the end of November and Ederson’s confidence levels will be way above those of Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris. I think Lloris has been outstanding this season, absolutely superb — but there is no doubt that in the past two games he has been poor. He made a mistake and was punished by Everton in that 5-4 loss in the FA Cup and yesterday he should have done better with the first two City goals.
He went the right way for the penalty and should have saved it but the ball went over the middle of his arm. It’s difficult from that distance but his technique just wasn’t right. I was surprised with some of Jose Mourinho’s decisions yesterday. I was surprised, for example, not to see Toby Alderweireld in the team — he’s Tottenham’s best defender and a player who can bring the ball out. I still back Mourinho to turn it around and fancy that he is a manager who can win them silverware. But Tottenham’s strengths are in the middle and final thirds. Play up to a front three of Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Gareth Bale and they become a different threat.
As for City? They are in a different class to anyone right now — and that’s without Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero. They should be champions.
At the start of the season many people thought they were in crisis because the goals had dried up and anyone who has watched City over the years would have been amazed by that. But Pep Guardiola never lost faith in what he was doing and Ruben Dias, for example, has been simply outstanding.
City want the Champions League — that’s their obsession now. But they still look nailed-on for the league and it’s a brave man who would bet against them when they play Tottenham in the League Cup final. But you never know with one-off games — and you never know with Jose.