Manchester United legend Roy Keane has slammed Ederson for his performances in recent weeks, claiming he has heavily contributed to Manchester City’s abysmal run of form. Keane then challenged Ederson to up his game, as Pep Guardiola would not continue to select him otherwise.
Manchester City are going through their roughest patch under six-time Premier League-winning manager Guardiola. The Cityzens have not won in their last seven games in all competitions, losing six of them. On Sunday, they suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League, losing 2-0 to Liverpool. The result at Anfield Stadium allowed Liverpool to open up a nine-point lead over second-placed Arsenal at the top of the English top-flight rankings. Man City, meanwhile, slipped out of the top four, with them now sitting in fifth place in the standings, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool.
Roy Keane Slams Manchester City Goalkeeper Ederson
Man City had conceded 17 goals in the six games leading up to the clash against Liverpool, with Ederson failing to make even a single save in that period. As a result, Guardiola brought Stefan Ortega into the fold for the game against Liverpool, and Keane was not surprised with the substitution.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the ex-United captain said (via Football365):
“All their stats are pretty good but defensively they’ve lost that intensity. We’ve not mentioned him yet but the goalkeeper – he’s been getting away with murder. He’s not made a save.”
Answering whether Guardiola should consider keeping Ederson out of action, Keane said:
“Possibly so, why not?
“If you look at him and his form, he’s not made a save. He needs to start producing. The last few months he’s been as big a problem as any player for City. He’s been a big problem.”
On Man City’s poor run of form, Keane added:
“He [Guardiola] will be hurting so much. This is a manager who has won everything in the game. He’s an absolutely amazing manager but he’s struggling to find a formula right now.
“He will be hurting badly. Usually, when you see Pep he looks fresh and well. Recently he looks a bit fatigued, he’s feeling it. The biggest compliment I can give City and Pep is I thought this crisis would happen a year or two ago. I tell you, it’s difficult to keep setting the standards that they’ve set.”
Manchester City will return to action with a clash against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Wednesday, December 4.