Manchester City: Why statistics don’t tell the real story of Ederson's 'worst' season

I cognize from my ain experiences that goalkeepers usually get blamed erstwhile things spell wrong, but I americium inactive amazed that immoderate Manchester City fans spot Ederson arsenic being a anemic nexus successful their Treble bid.

At archetypal glance, immoderate of his statistic this play mightiness look to enactment those theories astir a diminution - but I've tried to excavation a small deeper successful an effort to amusement wherefore conscionable looking astatine numbers unsocial does not springiness you the afloat representation astir a player's performances, peculiarly successful his position.

It is the discourse down them which I consciousness is important, truthful I've explored that to effort to explicate Ederson's signifier this run and what has changed for him, arsenic good arsenic looking astatine immoderate of the mechanics successful his crippled and examining his technique.

I'll permission you to marque your ain minds up astir whether each of this means helium should beryllium a scapegoat oregon not whenever City concede - but I deliberation I marque my ain feelings astir that beauteous clear.

Is Ederson's prevention percent a problem?

Out of 22 Premier League keepers to person started 10 games oregon much this season, lone 3 person a worse prevention percent than Ederson: Nottingham Forest's Keylor Navas (57.1%), Southampton's Gavin Bazunu (55.5%) and Bournemouth's Mark Travers (50%)

Ederson's prevention percent and ratio of cleanable sheets this play instrumentality retired arsenic being good down connected what helium has produced successful the past, and that is thing helium is getting a batch of disapproval for.

It's nary antithetic erstwhile you measurement the prime of the chances helium has faced and look astatine however the fig of expected goals from those chances comparison to however galore helium has conceded.

Again, his numbers person dropped disconnected beauteous dramatically and comparison poorly to astir different top-flight keepers during this run - helium is ranked 18/22 utilizing that metric.

I deliberation that stems from a fewer factors, though, and is not truly down to thing Ederson is doing amended oregon worse.

It's much the lawsuit that helium was being enactment successful definite situations, and much often, earlier successful the play due to the fact that of what was happening successful beforehand of him.

When I was looking to comparison his idiosyncratic statistic to erstwhile campaigns, I noticed that City had utilized 18 antithetic antiaircraft combinations successful the Premier League successful their archetypal 26 games of 2022-23, including 12 antithetic centre-back pairings oregon trios.

That's acold much than accustomed - they utilized conscionable six centre-back pairings successful the full of 2021-22 - but astir of it happened earlier this play erstwhile they were struggling to find a accordant backline.

In the past month, things person changed and, earlier Saturday's triumph implicit Leicester, they utilized conscionable 1 antiaircraft operation of John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake successful 5 successive Premier League and Champions League games wherever they conceded a full of 2 goals.

Ederson has prevented less goals this season, based connected the prime of the chances helium has faced, than immoderate of his erstwhile campaigns with City. A minus fig indicates helium has conceded much goals than helium should person done

That stableness successful presumption of unit is complimented by the fig of blocks City's defence is present making. In their 10 league games earlier the World Cup, City conceded an mean of 7.2 shots wrong the box, which is simply a lot, and lone 17% of them were blocked.

In their 10 league games from 22 January to 8 April, that dropped to an mean of 4.8 shots wrong the box, with 41% of them blocked, truthful Ederson was being asked to woody with acold less shots from determination than helium was astatine the commencement of the season.

It's not solely up to him to support those shots out, truthful I don't deliberation it is simply a coincidence that helium is conceding less goals present the full defence is settled and performing well. The remainder of the squad seems to person moved up a cogwheel too.

Ederson's method - a beardown operation down his saves

Harry Kane scored Tottenham's victor against Manchester City connected 5 February with his side's archetypal changeable connected target. The aforesaid happening happened to Ederson and City successful the games against Aston Villa, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest aboriginal that month

One of the different things thrown astatine Ederson was erstwhile helium went done a tally of conceding the archetypal changeable connected people helium faced - it happened successful 4 games successful a enactment astatine the commencement of February.

But erstwhile you spell done those goals, determination was thing helium could bash astir immoderate of them. They besides each happened astatine antithetic times successful each match, truthful it wasn't down to whether helium was switched connected oregon had his caput inactive successful the tunnel.

As a erstwhile keeper I truly don't deliberation it makes immoderate quality whether it is the archetypal changeable connected people you look oregon the fifth, erstwhile you are reasoning astir whether you could person done thing to halt it oregon not.

There is surely thing incorrect with Ederson's focus, oregon his goalkeeping method - I watched him intimately erstwhile I was moving connected the archetypal limb of the Bayern necktie for 5 Live past week and each clip helium made a prevention determination was a truly beardown operation down it. He was good and genuinely set, oregon acceptable and successful position, whenever a changeable came successful and I deliberation helium has really got amended astatine doing that during his clip astatine City.

The 1 prevention that stood retired for maine successful that archetypal Bayern crippled was 1 from Leroy Sane successful the 2nd half, erstwhile helium benignant of enactment retired a large beardown limb to artifact the shot away. It was unorthodox but effective.

Sometimes the shot is moving truthful quickly, that's each you tin do. If helium had tried to get his assemblage down it and marque a picture-perfect benignant of save, it astir apt wouldn't person worked retired the aforesaid way.

It was the aforesaid erstwhile helium had to woody with a Sane changeable down to his left-hand side, wherever helium had to get his ft retired truly rapidly and get his near limb down.

He didn't person clip to bash thing other and helium did truly good to instrumentality the gait retired of it and marque it instrumentality due to the fact that helium didn't connection the accidental of a rebound either. It is simply a method each City's keepers enactment connected a lot, and you tin tell.

Ederson saved 4 shots during City's 3-0 triumph implicit Bayern past week successful the archetypal limb of their Champions League quarter-final. Pictured is his halt from Leroy Sane wherever helium made the shot 'stick'

What's happened to those astonishing agelong passes?

I deliberation a large crushed wherefore Ederson finds himself nether specified scrutiny is due to the fact that helium has been truthful exceptional since joining City, particularly with his feet.

Because helium has done things with the shot that we'd ne'er seen before, oregon adjacent expected to ever spot from a goalkeeper, the information that helium possibly doesn't bash them arsenic often present - for immoderate crushed - means helium is questioned more.

In 2019, everyone was raving astir these amazingly close agelong passes helium was playing. In 2023, helium has stopped going arsenic long, arsenic often, truthful the decision seems to be: 'well, helium indispensable beryllium atrocious then!'

That benignant of reasoning ignores his long-pass accuracy of 52% is inactive the champion of immoderate Premier League goalkeeper this season, and doesn't instrumentality into information however the team's strategy has evolved during his clip astatine the nine and what the different City players oregon adjacent the absorption are doing.

Ederson has decidedly reduced the distances of the passes helium has been playing, but helium inactive predominantly plays balls retired wide - that hasn't changed, they are conscionable not going arsenic precocious up the transportation arsenic they utilized to.

His pass-map successful 2022-23 is simply a batch narrower, which suggests the players helium is targeting are person to his extremity than they were successful erstwhile seasons, due to the fact that City person changed the mode they effort to play out.

Ederson is playing less agelong balls than successful 2018-19, but his wide passing accuracy is amended than successful that season. At 85% truthful acold it is his third-best to date, aft 2021-22 (89%) and 2019-20 (86%)

With Stones operating arsenic a right-back but coming into midfield, erstwhile his broadside person possession City person an overload there, centrally, but due to the fact that the midfield is narrower they are asking their wingers successful their 4-3-3 enactment to travel deeper to cod the ball.

For me, the crushed for that is due to the fact that Pep Guardiola wanted to trim the abstraction that was near successful modulation - successful different words, erstwhile his broadside mislaid the shot erstwhile they tried to physique from the back.

When that happens now, they person an other subordinate successful determination to property the absorption quickly. Stones and Rodri are determination together, alternatively than conscionable Rodri arsenic the azygous pivot, which near them precise open.

The determination of John Stones' open-play touches successful City's 4-1 triumph implicit Liverpool connected 1 April show however progressive helium is centrally successful City's system

It is thing they are inactive moving on, though, and it is inactive a calculated hazard - designed to benignant of bait the press, truthful the absorption travel retired and City tin play astir them. When it goes wrong, it often ends with City conceding a chance… oregon worse.

It's intolerable to beryllium the cleanable keeper

It was wide from studying Ederson intimately however bully helium is astatine truthful galore aspects of goalkeeping, but it besides underlined however helium is cleanable for the mode Pep wants City to play and to beryllium successful power of each game

For the magnitude of shots helium really faces, helium is efficaciously being utilized arsenic an other outfield player. I don't cognize immoderate goalkeepers who are amended with their feet and that quality means City tin play higher up the pitch, prolong attacks for longer and enactment an other subordinate successful midfield. He's besides perfectly unflappable nether pressure.

A Manchester City instrumentality holds up a motion dedicated to Ederson during past month's 6-0 triumph implicit Burnley successful the FA Cup quarter-finals - 1 of 3 trophies City are chasing this play on with the Premier League and Champions League

There is country for betterment successful definite areas, of course. One of the things I took distant from watching him crossed respective games was seeing that helium could astir apt beryllium amended astatine crosses - but that was an country helium excelled astatine against Bayern truthful it is hardly a large weakness.

Still, it astir feels similar changeless perfection is demanded from goalkeepers successful each facet of their game, adjacent though they are seldom enactment successful precisely the aforesaid concern from crippled to crippled due to the fact that determination are truthful galore variables involved.

I don't cognize whether that's got thing to bash with radical playing Fifa, the shot video game, wherever your goalkeepers are automated, but it feels similar they are seen arsenic being conscionable robots and each these antithetic skills they request are ace casual due to the fact that they look truthful effortless erstwhile the machine is doing it for you.

It's truly not similar that astatine each successful existent life, wherever each azygous happening astir each azygous concern you look is different, whether it's the trajectory oregon merchandise constituent of a changeable erstwhile you're making a save, oregon knowing the complaint of gait that you are being closed down astatine erstwhile you are dealing with a backpass, portion scanning the transportation truthful you cognize your options earlier you person the ball.

There are truthful galore things that are happening truthful rapidly and truthful galore decisions to beryllium made successful antithetic conditions that it is inevitable you are not going to beryllium cleanable - it's conscionable not possible, adjacent if you are arsenic bully arsenic Ederson is.

Karen Bardsley was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

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