Stefan Ortega rang up his agent after his first session at Manchester City last season.
“I think I’m in the wrong place, I didn’t hold a single ball today,” he told him. The German was bewildered not just that prolific goalscorers such as Erling Haaland had been firing shots past him but even defenders and youth team players involved in the training.
That was a lesson for Ortega on the standards expected at the City Football Academy, having arrived on a free transfer after relegation from the Bundesliga with Arminia Bielefeld. It was also one quickly taken on board; barring a shocker in the League Cup at Southampton, the goalkeeper impressed with every opportunity and has started Premier League and Champions League matches ahead of Ederson.
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The ambition is clear: “I want to be the number one at Manchester City, otherwise I wouldn’t have come at all,” he told 11 Freunde magazine recently. The 30-year-old again expressed a desire to start more games after starting over Ederson against Brighton in the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola happy to take the advice of goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor on who was in the best condition after the international break.
Ortega has already made an impact in the squad - he was particularly close to last year’s club captain Ilkay Gundogan - and getting up to speed in training has allowed him to improve. At that level, the appreciation is clear for the mentality within the squad that saw the Blues smash United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday in a one-sided schooling.
“Erling is not the best footballer in the team, technically speaking. He is simply an incredible striker. There can be six defenders around him in the penalty area - he will still get the ball, claim it and score. There is this greed,” he said.
“Maybe that’s also a big difference to other teams, and I already notice that in training: as soon as there’s something to win, they flip the switch. I’ve always wanted something like that - to be part of a group that is driven and obsessed with success.“
“I’ve had goalkeeper groups that were disgusting. Then you quickly feel alone and isolated.
“With us at Manchester City, we support each other, it’s a cool team within a cool team. And I think Eddy has also noticed that this competitive situation helps us. It pushes him - and me too.”
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