Crystal Palace player now jokes that £35m Man City star “messed up” his position

Crystal Palace player now jokes that £35m Man City star “messed up” his position

Crystal Palace No.1 Sam Johnstone has now made a comment about Manchester City No.31 Ederson.

The England international mentioned the Brazil international when speaking to David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast.

So, what did Sam Johnstone say about Ederson? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well, the 30-year-old joked that the £34.7m Manchester City glovesman has “messed up” goalkeeping for him and his colleagues in between the sticks, as the Brazilian’s ability with the ball at his feet has now led to a number of other sides insisting on playing out from the back.

Johnstone quipped: “I think Ederson messed that (traditional goalkeeping) up for everyone because he’s so good with his feet!”

The South American’s arrival at Manchester City back in June 2017 was definitely a landmark moment for English football.

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It saw the widespread introduction of playing out from the back like never before, while football fans also got to witness a true unicorn of a goalkeeper in terms of Ederson’s immense long range passing ability.

Nowadays, almost every goalkeeper is being asked to pass out from the back – even those who look highly uncomfortable in doing so.

Ederson reinvented his role at Manchester City

Rather than mess up his position – as Johnstone joked – Ederson has actually pulled off the incredibly unique achievement of reinventing his role.

Only a few players have ever done that, showing true innovation to think outside of the box and do things differently to those who previously shone in that position.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is another one who springs to mind. The Liverpool No.66 showcased a whole new way to impact a game from right-back, leading other sides to place strong technical players in that area.

Some goalkeepers might hate Ederson for making their job that little bit more difficult nowadays, but you can’t knock the 30-year-old for redefining his role.