Micah Richards has said that he has not seen a goalkeeper like Ederson Moraes in the Premier League era.
In the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, the pundit praised Ederson’s distribution while pointing out how the home fans in the Etihad Stadium are at ease seeing him take risks on the ball.
The £35 million (Independent) man’s performance in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool was lauded by Garth Crooks, who claimed that he has upped the standards of goalkeeping in the past few years.
Micah Richards says he has not seen a goalkeeper like Ederson in the Premier League era
Even Zack Steffen said that the Brazilian international has “unbelievable technique” as he trained and watched him play for years at City.
While Sam Allardyce went as far as to say that the 30-year-old is “Man City’s best long passer.”
Micah Richards admitted that he has yet to come across a goalkeeper quite like Manchester City legend Ederson in Premier League history.
“Ederson’s composure on the ball is like nothing I’ve ever seen in the Premier League. It’s just amazing to watch. And you know what’s strange about the whole thing now?”, he said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“Normally, when it goes back to the ‘keeper, the crowd are like, ‘Kick it long and what not.’ When the ball goes back to Ederson now and you can hear it at the game, the crowd’s just really calm like, ‘Okay, he knows what he’s doing. We know how they’re playing. He’s going to get us out of danger.’
Ederson will be seen as a role model by up-and-coming goalkeepers
Micah Richards is bang on the money about Ederson, as before his move to Manchester City, goalkeepers were not asked to be capable with the ball at their feet.
However, football has changed dramatically in this respect ever since the treble-winner’s arrival in England.
Nowadays, it has become a prerequisite for most goalkeepers, especially at the top level to be comfortable in possession.
As a result, up-and-coming goalkeepers will likely be studying Ederson’s game in the hope that they too can influence their teams in a similar manner.
Not just in terms of the Manchester City No.1’s distribution but also his proactive sweeping at the back as well as his understanding of Pep Guardiola’s demands.
Those who choose not to will likely be seen as outdated commodities in the modern game.
