Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has provided an explanation for the absence of Ederson from the starting lineup in the match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Following the most recent international break, Manchester City returned to Premier League action with a 2-1 victory over Roberto De Zerbi’s team, featuring goals from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland.
However, questions emerged about one player’s absence from the starting lineup even before the match kicked off – Ederson. Guardiola was asked about this decision before the game.
When questioned about why Ederson wasn’t in the starting lineup against Brighton, Guardiola responded to the media as reported by Sky Sports, saying, “He could play, but we decided to give him a little rest.”
Ederson had played every minute of Premier League action for Manchester City this season before the Brighton match. This, coupled with the fact that the 30-year-old played full 90-minute matches in Brazil’s recent international games against Venezuela and Uruguay, explains Guardiola’s choice to rest him on this occasion.
In his eight league appearances this season, Ederson faced 16 shots on goal and managed to save 11 of them, resulting in a save percentage of 62.5%.
Stefan Ortega Moreno replaced the Brazilian international for the match against Brighton, making his first Premier League appearance of the year. Despite his limited playing time, Ortega managed to make two important saves that contributed to Manchester City securing all three points.
It is reasonable to assume that Ederson will return to the starting lineup in the near future, now that Guardiola has provided him with a well-deserved break following his demanding start to the season and recent international commitments.
