Ball retention is a renowned aspect of Pep Guardiola’s philosophy, one which has been pivotal to his teams’ successes. If the other team do not have the ball, they cannot score.

Every football fan, coach and player alike around the world surely understands this logic: that the position of possession is a good position to be in. However, when it comes to the acknowledgement of which players in which positions should be fulfilling this desire to retain the ball, varying opinions come into play.

For Guardiola, though, even the goalkeeper should be in possession of the ability to maintain his team’s possession. The man between the sticks must be an option for his teammates, an outlet on which teammates can depend and a platform from which attacks can be initiated.

Last summer, Manchester City supporters saw long term player and fan favourite Joe Hart shipped out to Torino, with their new manager unable to detect enough intelligence or ability on the ball and in distribution.

Claudio Bravo was brought in from Barcelona with high hopes, yet ultimately ended up being the Blues’ biggest liability. Now, with Hart’s expulsion extended to London with West Ham and Bravo unlikely to be first choice, City have made Ederson the most expensive goalkeeper of all time, according to some reports.

Ederson has impressed for Manchester City in pre-season More

Despite an error in his debut against rivals Manchester United, the young Brazilian has already made a positive impression on the fans at his new club.

If one was to dream up the ultimate Guardiola goalie, the resulting image would be little different than Manuel Neuer, the number 1 utilised by the Spanish coach during his tenure in Bavaria with Bayern Munich.

Yet in truth, Ederson could be right up there with the best in the world in the coming years. Aged just 23, he has won consecutive titles in Portugal with Benfica and propelled himself to the cusp of the Brazil national team.

In pre-season fixtures against Real Madrid and Tottenham, he has demonstrated just why City were so keen to acquire his services, making some impressive saves and passes.

Many neutral football followers believe that Guardiola is inherently opposed to his shot-stopper punting the ball long. Instead, in my opinion, that is a misconception. Guardiola strives to keep the ball no matter what and obviously does not want to needlessly concede possession to the opposition.





Yet last term, Bravo and Willy Caballero both went long on occasions in order to reach pockets of the midfield with a lofted ball. If opposition teams continue to press high against City, Ederson’s ability could actually be a massive help, rather than a hindrance.

Guardiola’s latest goalkeeping recruit prides himself on his incredibly long range from goal kicks; his capacity to pinpoint a 60-yard-plus pass to a teammate is one of his greatest assets.

His distribution and vision are superb, and when combined, can even result in the keeper bagging assists and pre-assists. He has managed many assists in the past, as showcased during his last match for Benfica, and he almost managed it again against Spurs last week, with Aguero hitting the post following a long goal kick.

City fans and rival supporters may have slight reservations about Ederson’s ability to perform in the Premier League after the disastrous campaign endured by Bravo. However, the key for City fans, at least, is to not get on his back the minute he makes a mistake. He is relatively young for a goalkeeper and is still learning, but he could just be one of the world’s next best.