Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson generated some surprising headlines on the back of a derby win over Manchester United, as he was pictured crouching down on halfway as the Red Devils struggled to get anything going at the Etihad Stadium, but the Brazilian insists his actions were “perfectly normal”.
Ederson has always been a sweeper keeper for the Premier League champions and is widely heralded as one of the finest number ones around when it comes to dealing with balls in the air and on the deck.
With that in mind, he is not averse to roaming well outside of his penalty area, as he did against United, and insists that too much is being read into him supposedly disrespecting local rivals by highlighting just how toothless they became in the second half of a 4-1 defeat.
What has been said?
Ederson told reporters when asked if City needed a keeper against United: “I've seen that image after the game. I've been in that position various times, whether it is a corner or throw-in I always look to play high up to shut down a counter by the opponents.
“It's something that I do a lot in games and sometimes people don't really notice. As it was a derby more people noticed.
“That's the way I play, Pep asks me to play high up and there are a lot of games where you play more with your feet than your hands but you need to be prepared for everything.
“Sometimes it could be a counter for our team as well if there is a better passing option. It's perfectly normal and something we've been doing very well.”
How does Ederson keep his focus?
With City becoming a dominant force in domestic and continental football, Ederson has many outings in which he has little to do.
He has grown accustomed to that and claims to have mastered the art of keeping his concentration when it would be easy to let his thoughts wander.
“It is difficult to concentrate in games when I don't see much of the ball but I always look to be constantly communicating with my team-mates,” Ederson added.
“A lot of the time I talk to my team-mates after the game that I'm tired. A game where I don't make many saves I'm tired mentally because the mental tiredness is more tiring than the physical tiredness.
“Concentrating for 90 minutes is difficult, I do it better these days due to my communication with the rest of the team.”
City will be hoping to enjoy another quiet evening on Wednesday when they take in the second leg of a Champions League last-16 encounter with Sporting that they currently lead 5-0 on aggregate.
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