1. ‘He has great mental strength’
Enzo Maresca has expressed his support for Gianluigi Donnarumma following the goalkeeper’s expensive mistakes in Manchester City’s recent losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
Donnarumma was responsible for Nicolas Jackson’s decisive goal at Villa Park on Saturday, allowing the forward’s long-distance effort to slip beneath him as City suffered their first league loss of the campaign. Earlier this month, he was also at fault for goals scored by Désiré Doué and Maghnes Akliouche during City’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to the reigning champions.
“Mistakes and disappointing results are a normal part of life for players and managers. There are always consequences,” Maresca said. “Gigio has performed well since we began working together. Every player and coach makes errors during a season.”
“Footballers play so many matches and spend so much time on the pitch that avoiding every mistake is almost impossible. He is mentally strong. When he gets something wrong, he does not need us to point it out because the error is often obvious and he understands it himself.”
Marc Guéhi has also experienced an inconsistent spell. The defender played a part in Jackson’s opening goal on Saturday, conceded a late penalty in the previous weekend’s 3-2 victory over Ipswich, and made an early error that directly resulted in Lamine Yamal scoring for Spain against England in last month’s Nations League match.
“I am fully satisfied with Marc,” Maresca said. “His response to setbacks is excellent, and he is a first-class person. He is among the captains, provides leadership and has my complete support. Like Gigio, he understands when he has made an error.”
Donnarumma will be given a break when Brighton visit in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Maresca said: “Following the Villa match, five players received three days off to restore their energy: Erling [Haaland], Rúben [Dias], Elliot [Anderson], Gigio and Josko [Gvardiol]. They have a short break before returning refreshed and ready to continue.”
Geronimo Rulli is set to replace Donnarumma once more for the match against Brighton. Jamie Jackson
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