Garth Crooks has said that Ederson Moraes has managed to raise the standard of goalkeeping since his arrival at Manchester City in 2017.
The pundit named Ederson in his Premier League Team of the Week for BBC Sport, as he was especially impressed with his flawless distribution in his side’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
Just last month, Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone had joked about how the £35 million (Independent) man had “messed” up the role of traditional goalkeepers due to how remarkable he is with the ball at his feet.
Garth Crooks says Ederson has raised the standard of goalkeeping “to another level”
Even Josko Gvardiol admitted that he was surprised by just how “incredible” the Brazilian was on the ball for a goalkeeper.
Ally McCoist went as far as to claim that the 30-year-old might be a better distributor than any other No.1 in the history of the game.
Now, Garth Crooks has praised Ederson for his scintillating showing against Liverpool, while adding that he has taken the art of goalkeeping to the next level.
“The pass from Ederson to Bernardo Silva towards the end of the first half couldn’t have been better delivered by Colin Bell, Yaya Toure or David Silva. None of Manchester City’s former midfield geniuses could have produced a better pass”, Crooks told BBC Sport.
“Ever since the Brazilian joined Manchester City, he has taken the standard of goalkeeping to another level. ‘Keepers around the world, in every park and playground are no longer expected to just make saves but to play football, which Ederson can clearly do but now he’s adding defence-splitting passes to his repertoire and against Liverpool no less. Where will it end?”
Ederson is genuinely irreplaceable for Manchester City
Garth Crooks is spot on as Ederson has become the benchmark for modern-day goalkeepers.
As exceptional a No.2 as Stefan Ortega is, City simply do not look like the same team in the former Benfica shotstopper’s absence.
Ederson operates like an elite deep-lying playmaker, as was the case against Liverpool as he has every pass in his locker.
How the treble-winner breaks the lines, is comfortable both playing it short as well as long and manipulates the opposition press is at a level that no other goalkeeper in the world even comes close to.
While a case can be made that the likes of Alisson Becker and Thibaut Courtois are superior shotstoppers to him, in Manchester City’s system, there is not a single better alternative to Ederson.
