Will The Goalkeeper Die Out Under Pep Guardiola?

The Manchester City manager has been at the vanguard tactically his entire career and his use of Ederson suggests another revolution is incoming

There is an argument to be had that by getting rid of Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola was ushering in an era where the best teams would no longer rely on 'specialist' forwards.

Out and out strikers would be cast out to be replaced by players characterised as “midfielders” in the No.9 position – like Cesc Fabregas or, more commonly for Barca, a player uncategorizable like Lionel Messi. Whatever his skills and whatever his numbers, it would be insulting to refer to Messi as a mere striker.

Through his treatment of Sergio Aguero – who has been in and out of the team at Manchester City under Guardiola despite his status as an all-time great – the manager has demonstrated that no one will be spared from the revolution.