There is big debate surrounding Manchester City at present and now the Everton keeper has had his say.
Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has waded into the debate about ball-playing goalkeepers, telling the Daily Mail that a ‘keeper’s priority should be saving balls.
The debate surrounding goalkeepers needing to be good with the ball at their feet has been a prevalent one this season, largely because of Manchester City.
New manager Pep Guardiola elected to let Joe Hart leave the club in the summer and bring in Claudio Bravo as his replacement.
It was felt that decision was made because the former Barcelona man was better with the ball at his feet than the England number one.
Bravo has struggled to prove himself at the beginning of the season, though, with this week seeing him sent off against his former club after handling the ball outside the area following a poor pass straight to Luis Suarez.
It raises further questions about ball playing goalkeepers and now Stekelenburg has had his say on the matter.
“The main priority for goalkeepers is saving balls,” he told the Daily Mail.
“People don’t have to forgot that the main thing for a goalkeeper is saving balls and then everything you extra to help the team is a bonus.”
It remains to be seen if Bravo can improve on his shaky start to life in England and prove that Guardiola’s decision was a smart one.
So far it has not had a negative effect on their campaign, with Manchester City currently sitting top of the Premier League table.
More mistakes such as the one against Barcelona, though, and the decision will look like a poor one all round.
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