USMNT keeper Zack Steffen is one of the most underrated players among the current crop of footballers to play for the nation. The 27-year-old shot-stopper has been at Manchester City for three years now and has made a name for himself.

He has firmly established his place as the club’s second choice, only behind Brazilian keeper Ederson Moraes. Steffen has the confidence of manager Pep Guardiola and it was evident when the Spaniard started him in City’s FA Cup Semi-final clash against Liverpool.

However, the match did not go the way Steffen would’ve wanted, as after conceding early in the first half, it was his mistake that doubled Liverpool’s lead. It proved to be costly as City lost the match by a score of 3-2 in the end, and got knocked out of the competition.

Zack Steffen still has Pep Guardiola’s confidence

While the USMNT star’s failed Ederson impression might have angered the club’s fans, his manager is still behind him. Guardiola spoke about Steffen’s mistake in an interview after the match and revealed that he needed the American to try things.

The former FC Barcelona manager also added that Steffen made several good saves and that he deserved to play for the club because of his qualities as a player.

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“It was an accident, but we need him to try because that’s how we play our football. He deserves to play and after that he had a good game. He made good saves and is an exceptional keeper,” Guardiola said.

Pep Guardiola tactically breaks down the mistake

Ederson almost made the same mistake a few days ago, but the keeper was able to recover the ball just before the goal line. Guardiola explained that it was City’s playing style to use their goalkeeper to manipulate the opponent’s positioning.

He also added that Steffen might’ve had second thoughts about keeping the ball at his feet and that sometimes these situations do end up being mistakes.

“We use our keeper to move our opponents into different situations. I’m pretty sure Zack didn’t want to do it. Sometimes the strikers miss in front of the keeper, other times the keeper makes a mistake,” he added.

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Do you think Pep will start Zack in an EPL game soon?