Guardiola explains exactly why he needs Claudio Bravo at Man City

The Manchester City coach has opted to bring in a new goalkeeper to be his No.1 at the club

 

Pep Guardiola has explained why it is so important for Manchester City to have a goalkeeper comfortable on the ball.
The new coach has made the position a major talking point since the start of the season with his decision to drop long-time No.1 Joe Hart from the starting lineup.
With Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo expected to be confirmed as a new signing this week, a man seen as essential to the team as late as this summer will find himself third choice should he remain at the club.

Hart has many qualities as a goalkeeper but his weaknesses coincide with the skills Guardiola treasures most dearly, and he elaborated on why he views a ball-playing goalkeeper as a necessity.
“It is because when you create a good build-up, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fabian Delph, Yaya Toure, Nolito, [Raheem] Sterling, and Jesus [Navas] - our forward players - receive the ball in better conditions," he said.

"I would like to have the ball for 90 minutes. I know most of the coaches don't like to...I am completely the opposite. I always want to have the ball as much as possible but to attack better and concede as few counter-attacks.
“That is the reason why, nothing else, and when you can build up from the goalkeeper to the central defender, full backs, holding midfielders, everything is fluid, fluid. It’s easier for everybody.”
The coach has referenced the importance of La Masia to his footballing education many times and it is no surprise that Guardiola has gone to Barcelona for a keeper.

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Victor Valdes - Guardiola's No.1 while he was in charge at the Camp Nou - has also found his way to the Premier League, now at Middlesbrough after an unfortunate spell at United.
“I remember Pep always saying ‘Casa, Casa’, which translates to ‘go home’," Valdes said this week.
"He thinks the centre of the pitch is home, and he wanted the players to return the ball there as soon as possible,”
“It’s more for the players than the goalkeeper but he wants a keeper who gives the defenders an option. But the most important thing for him is a keeper who makes saves!”

The coach was also able to get what he wanted when he went on to Bayern Munich as he worked with German international Manuel Neuer during his time with the Bundesliga champions.
"The way Pep looks at it, we're not just a team with 10 players and a goalkeeper," Neuer said in 2014.
"We are really 11 players and that fits in with my game. I'm glad we've got that philosophy and achieve 70-plus per cent possession in games."