Ederson says Pep Guardiola showed him a video of his time at Benfica with a simple instruction shortly after his arrival at Manchester City.
Ederson joined City in 2017, a year after Guardiola and following a difficult season for Blues goalkeepers. Guardiola had told Joe Hart he wanted his own keeper, but his replacement Claudio Bravo struggled to impress, and Ederson was signed the next summer.
In the following five years, Ederson has been City's undisputed number one, adding a whole new dimension to the way they play due to his calmness on the ball and accuracy while playing out from the back. And the Brazilian has revealed how Guardiola signed him specifically to use those skills to exploit space behind opponents.
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Speaking to City's media team to look back on his first season at the Etihad, Ederson says Guardiola used him to spread opponents out across the pitch and take advantage of their high pressing.
"I was already used to play this position, playing with a high line. Our team was a team that made high pressure, so the defenders were almost in the midfield line," he said.
"So I needed to be as high as possible so I could intervene in a possible counter attack or in a ball behind our defenders. And in the build-up most teams would pressure us high and I had three options, a short pass, a medium pass or a long pass, which was the pass to the attacker that stood in the front.
"I made some assists so that might have been a surprise for them. But for me it wasn't a surprise because I already knew what I could do and what I could make to the opponents.
"Especially when i arrived, Pep showed a video of an assist I have in my last game with Benfica. So he said that we could exploit these kind of balls because in my first season the opposing teams made a very high pressure so there was plenty of space left. So that was a move we could enjoy a lot, and we did that — using the space between the last defender and the opponent's goalkeeper."
The feature also showed Guardiola's first press conference in the 2017 pre-season tour when he explained how Ederson would be able to change how City play — referencing a chance where Ederson found Sergio Aguero in space from a goal kick for the striker to hit the post.
He said: "The goal kick when the opponents make a high press is complicated but now we have the chance to put the ball in the other box. We need a little bit when we took him and of course there will be more space in the middle. We create a good chance that he gave to Sergio to score a goal.
"He has this quality, last season or two, three years ago at Bayern Munich we played Benfica, he was there. When we tried to analyse them we saw it four or five times and make a meeting all together. We said 'guys what's the matter what is that?' We tried to work on that because he has the quality to put the ball in the other box. It's not offside. We spread out the opponent and can have more space in the middle."
And reflecting on his five years as a whole, Ederson said he is a more rounded individual since joining City, adding that he feels completely settled in Manchester.
"I see a guy who is mature fulfilled, who is very adapted to the city that my family is adapted to too," he said.
"My two kids, the middle boy and the youngest girl were born here in England. So they already have a very strong connection with England. Because of this, of course I'm playing at the city, winning titles, so when I look to the past and to my entire process, I feel that every player needs to evolve each day. Every player needs to improve in some aspect. There are no perfect players and there are no perfect goalkeepers.
"You always need to look to improve, dedicate yourself, work to your maximum. With me it's no different. And many times when we make mistakes it's not because we want to. I am a guy who dedicates myself to the maximum. I always try to work in the highest level possible and I know that sometimes things don't go right, and many times it goes.
"But you need to keep your head calm, work a lot and that's what I do. When I make a mistake or do something good I always try to work more, work more and dedicate more."
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