Is Ortega a good second-choice keeper? Here are our key reasons behind the answer
With Ederson finally back from injury and starting in two out of Manchester City's last three matches, let's take a look at how Stefan Ortega did as his replacement during the last few weeks.
Ortega had a big responsibility taking over for Ederson in these former fixtures, as all the results contributed highly to City's season, any losses would have ended their chances of silverware and all the victories would have taken them one step closer to claiming a title.
Despite the pressures that Ortega would have had on his shoulders when taking over for Ederson, the goalie did well enough to keep the Cityzens in the Premier League title race and the FA Cup.
Take a look at the stats and numbers created by Ortega.
Since Ederson went off injured in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool in March, Ortega has played in six of City's last eight games, with the majority of his match rating being over a 7.0.
Ortega conceded six goals overall and achieved five wins and one draw in his time as City's first choice. During his time in the net, Ortega showed that the way he plays is very similar to Ederson. Ortega is comfortable with the ball at his feet and is not flustered when he is being pressured by the opposition. The most notable example of this would be the great bit of skill in his own box to escape pressure when being pressed by Crystal Palace's Jean-Phillippe Mateta, a skill that was shown in Man City's 4-2 win over the side.
Now, to look at the more statistical side of his performances, Ortega played how you would expect a Pep Guardiola goalkeeper to play; Ortega's passing was impressive, with his pass accuracy being 100% against Aston Villa, 84% against Arsenal and 85% against Chelsea. Ortega even claimed Man of the Match against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, helping City book a place in the final against Manchester United.
He also made a total of 15 saves in his six matches. Ortega is comfortable with the ball at his feet, has an impressive passing ability and is not scared to come out of his box. He is a great example of a modern keeper and has done well handling the jump from Arminia Bielefeld to Manchester City.
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Overall, I would say that Ortega has done an impressive job filling in for Ederson and is definitely a worthy second-choice keeper when needed.
Next for Manchester City comes Wolves, which takes place this Saturday at 17:30 (UK)