Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola loves to spring a tactical surprise on the opposition – and sometimes, even his own players.
That's according to goalkeeper Ederson, who has been opening up about what it is like to work with the Catalan. Manchester City are on course for a historic treble, with Pep Guardiola having taken an already impressive team to new heights this season, as few sides can figure out to beat the Premier League champions.
But while plenty of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure that the Citizens are practised to perfection, Ederson now says that his manager can completely switch the script for his own stars and give them new instructions before games.
"There was one match – I’m not sure if it was against Manchester United or Liverpool – when we trained in one specific way for the whole week, but before the match, he changed his mind completely and decided that we would play a different way," Ederson tells FourFourTwo now. "And we won the match anyway!
"That shows that the players trust him and his process. He’s very demanding, but at the same time, he gives us room and confidence to be ourselves on the pitch. It’s ridiculous the number of players who have improved dramatically, working with him at City. It’s insane."
While there are plenty of huge stars within the ranks at the Etihad Stadium, Ederson believes that it's down to his boss that these players have reached the levels they have. According to him, Erling Haaland was the only true superstar upon joining City, with others having to develop into the players they are today.
"If you look at our squad, Erling Haaland is possibly the only player that grabbed all of the headlines when he joined the club," Ederson explains. "Others like myself, Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva were not football sensations when we first signed for City.
"We improved considerably, working with Pep, because he’s capable of getting the most out of each player. That’s definitely one of his strengths."
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