We’re all well aware of how much goalkeeper passing habits have changed over the years that Pep Guardiola has been in England.

Premier League football is unrecognisable from the game that was played before he arrived. In 2015-16, the last season before he took over at Manchester City, 74.2% of all goal-kicks ended in the opposition’s half. Last season, that figure was down at 40.4%.

The rule change that came in ahead of 2019-20 that meant passes played from goal-kicks could end inside the penalty area had a pretty big impact, too, but the game was already heading in that direction. The increase in goalkeeper pass completion rates shows as much.

But what Guardiola has done to football arguably would never have been possible were it not for the 2017 signing of Ederson.

The arrival of the most technically gifted goalkeeper the Premier League or possibly even world football has ever seen allowed Guardiola to demand things of his goalkeeper that nobody else could. City’s passing from goal-kicks changed dramatically every season Guardiola has been in charge.

In open play, City could draw their opponents in like no other team, because Ederson was calm and competent enough on the ball to deal with the pressure of a high press. City essentially always had one more outfielder than their opponents.

But arguably even more significant than his short passing was his ability to thump the ball two-thirds of the way up the pitch with devastating accuracy.

These weren’t just hopeful punts up the pitch for a teammate to chase; these were driven balls, often kept at a low trajectory that had a very specific target. More consistently than any other goalkeeper in Premier League history, Ederson created chances for teammates.