JACK GAUGHAN: It’s not a surprise to see No 2 Stefan Ortega start for City in the FA Cup final against Man United… there have been no calamities when the German has been called on this season
- Pep Guardiola confirmed Stefan Ortega will start in goal against Man United
- The German goalkeeper has proved to be a significant upgrade on Zack Steffen
- City noted he was good enough in possession before signing him last summer
To the outside world there will be surprise when Manchester City’s No 18 stands next to Ilkay Gundogan as Jasmine Faulkner belts out the national anthem at Wembley today.
Yet around City on Friday, when Pep Guardiola confirmed Stefan Ortega would be thrown the gloves for the FA Cup final, there was a collective shrug of the shoulders.
In all his years at this club, and all the silverware, Ederson has only played two domestic cup finals — both of them in 2019, when Claudio Bravo’s achilles tendon injury ruled him out for the season.
City’s players nicknamed the Carabao Cup the ‘Claudio Bravo Cup’ given his heroics over various campaigns and Ederson happily sat them out.
Bravo was a decent understudy and Ortega is good. Not Ederson good, but a significant upgrade on Zack Steffen, whose mistakes contributed to a pair of FA Cup semi-final defeats by Chelsea and Liverpool in the previous two seasons.
Stefan Ortega will start against Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon
Former City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was rated for his heroics in Carabao Cup finals
One of Steffen’s last acts in a City shirt was to miscontrol a back-pass on his line and allow Sadio Mane to tackle him into the net as Liverpool raced into a three-goal lead. He spent this term on loan at Middlesbrough.
Although he was mildly questioned after a defeat at Southampton, there have been no such calamities with Ortega, 30, snapped up on a free transfer from relegated Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld last summer as they scrambled to find a replacement for Steffen.
The No 2 spot is not easy to fill, with someone capable of providing competition for Ederson while knowing the chances of dislodging the Brazilian are thinner than a VAR line.
Ortega has fitted in seamlessly though, featuring in each round on the way to this final without conceding. He has 10 clean sheets in 13 appearances in all competitions and started three recent Premier League games.
His display against Chelsea in a Carabao Cup made fans sit up and take notice of his ability, as he thwarted a number of chances and ensured City progressed.
So far he has two victories over Chelsea under his belt, as well as over Liverpool and Arsenal. Not a bad list, so Guardiola’s decision to persist with him for Manchester United is, on the surface, rational.
But taking the significance of the tie and what City can achieve over the next seven days, it places a different level of pressure on the German, who had never won silverware before this year’s league title. He was at 1860 Munich in the second division as they were relegated to the regional divisions in 2017. This shot at success has been a long time coming.
He did have plenty of suitors last year. Despite Arminia’s relegation from the top flight, Ortega’s star had risen, he won awards and seemed destined for bigger things.
Ortega has proved to be a significant upgrade on Zack Steffen, who made mistakes last season
Pep Guardiola heaped praise on the German No 2 ahead of the Manchester derby showdown
After drilling down into the statistics, City had noted he was good enough in possession to indicate there was something to work with. Although he is nowhere near Ederson’s level on the ball, it is noticeable that defenders have few qualms chucking it his way in tight spaces.
‘He is pushing Ederson a lot,’ Guardiola said in February. ‘The way he’s played in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup so far, even in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. He’s an exceptional goalkeeper.’
After struggling to settle, Ortega struck up a rapport with Ederson and Scott Carson, who recently signed an extended contract. Carson’s role is to keep standards high and act as an example to younger players. He is appreciated by the squad and staff, even if he is aware that further appearances are not going to arrive. Carson, 38 in September, is content with that.
Ortega, though, has ambitions. He felt it important that Guardiola was not just trotting him out for fixtures against lower-league opposition but the bigger ones too that carry extra weight for a team intent on winning three or four trophies in a year. There are none bigger than Saturday.
