Pep Guardiola says Ederson has never been under more pressure for his place at Manchester City but dismissed criticism of his goalkeeper. Guardiola was in no mood to question Ederson’s level as he pointed to everything that the club have achieved with the goalkeeper. However, he did say that Ortega – who will start at Bristol City in the FA Cup – has put him under more pressure than any other backup at the club ever managed to do.
Pep Guardiola said: “I don’t have, and we don’t have any doubts about Ederson. How many Golden Gloves? The performances he has done over many years to achieve what we have achieved, Ederson is an exceptional keeper. I don’t have any doubts. But the reality now is he has another keeper that pushes him like never before in terms of what he has done so far – not just in our buildup but he is also a typical German keeper, he stays up and has incredible hand movements. The way he played in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup so far, even in the Champions League when he played at Dortmund when we were fighting for the first position. He’s an exceptional keeper, but Ederson is a really important figure on and off the pitch in everything we have done.”