Former Manchester City keeper Nicky Weaver has been critical of Claudio Bravo’s derby display on Saturday claiming the clumsy Chilean drops the ball when it comes to the cardinal rule of goalkeeping.
“Bravo is one of the smallest in the Premier League and the glove-work on Saturday wasn’t at the standard expected of him. He always wants to play with his feet and in Spain, the keeper is always seen as the eleventh outfield player and that’s how City want to play. But first and foremost for me, I like to see a goalkeeper keep the ball out of his net.”
The 33-year-old debutant endured a torrid ninety minutes during City’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford with an erratic performance that had Blues pining for the swift return of Joe Hart and United supporters off their seats every time the ball was in his vicinity. Weaver – who remains a firm fan’s favourite following a decade’s service for the club – believes further costly errors could be on the horizon.
“Obviously it wasn’t an ideal debut for him though he got away with it because they won. He made a mistake with the goal and whether he was to blame for a lack of communication or if it was John Stones only those two know but he’s the type of goalkeeper who plays on the edge, he plays high and takes risks. We can expect the odd mistake.”
At this moment in time comparing the German sweeper-keeper to the nervy £17m summer purchase may be like contrasting chalk with a cheese full of holes but down the pitch last Saturday lunchtime stood a parallel that could possibly offer City hope.
“De Gea had a really difficult time when he first arrived but he’s now massive for United and is one of the best keepers in the world. So with Bravo having a similar dodgy start hopefully he can build from it and go from strength to strength.”
That is assuming of course that the under-fire Bravo is given a chance to prove his credentials that include over a hundred international caps and two La Liga-winning seasons with Barcelona. Weaver isn’t so sure.
“There is going to be a circus around him now in the media and teams coming up will have watched that game and be closing him down and forcing a mistake. He’s also going to get lots of jeers from opposing fans but he is vastly experienced so that won’t worry him.”
“A lot of goalkeepers struggle with the Premier League when they first come. At corners they will try and pen him in and put it under the crossbar. Teams will try and exploit every weakness and City don’t have many so any little advantage will be taken.”
The most startling of errors committed by Hart’s headline-grabbing replacement was a failed attempt to turn Wayne Rooney as the United forward advanced with intent. It led to an incident that many believe should have resulted in either a penalty or sending off, an opinion unsurprisingly shared by Jose Mourinho in his post-match interview.
Weaver, however, suspects diversionary tactics may be at play here as the wily Portuguese coach detracts attention from his side’s disappointing defeat.
“Bravo had a really heavy touch and had to go in hard to win the ball. He did go in with the foot raised but his studs weren’t showing towards Rooney. It was angled away so for me it was a hard but fair challenge. It was typical Mourinho to jump on that one and to reflect away from his side. So we’re coming off the back of a Man City win and all people want to go on about is the goalkeeper.”
Point duly taken and certainly there were many positives to be gleaned for the blue half of Manchester after a tremendous victory and an opening forty-five minutes that was arguably the most impressive witnessed for several seasons in the Premier League.
“With some better finishing from City there could have been a few more. They hit the post a couple of times and every time De Bruyne had the ball something happened. With City at the moment every time a question has been asked they are answering it.”
“It’s high-tempo and if they lose the ball the pressing gets it back. There has been a lot of talk about the possession based game but it’s possession with a purpose. They have a lot of young dynamic players in the team and with Iheanacho stepping in for Aguero they have goals and options all over the place. They have subs who can change things and they’re going to take some beating for the title.”
Though United and Chelsea will still insist on having a significant say on this matter there is no question that Pep Guardiola’s revolution has immediately sparked into life with several players finding themselves revitalised under his charge. For Weaver though there has been nobody more impressive than City’s Brazilian brilliant bundle of energy Fernandinho.
“He’s been fantastic and has been the unsung hero for a while now. He’s all over the place and breaks things up and starts things off. He can be one of the mainstays in Guardiola’s team now and like Iniesta he links things up and doesn’t over-complicate it. He gets it and gives it and creates little pockets of space for others. He may not be a de Bruyne or Sterling but the role he plays is pivotal.”
As the likable former City stopper knows all-too-well though there is no position more pivotal than a team’s number one. Considering the nature of his exit how does Weaver think Joe Hart reacted when viewing his successor’s struggles at the weekend?
“He is probably glad that they won but would have had a little wry smile to himself.”
NICKY WEAVER’S QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
- Who will win the Premier League Title?
Manchester City - Bet on Premier League Title Winner
- Who will win the Champions league?
I hope they go deep into the competition and go one better than last year. So Manchester City. - Bet on Champions league Winner
- Who will win the Premier League’s Golden Boot?
Sergio Aguero - Bet on Premier League’s Golden Boot
