Gianluigi Donnarumma has joined Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain. The Italian is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. But there are doubts about his passing and scoring ability – is he the right goalkeeper for Pep Guardiola and the Premier League?
Image: Manchester City complete deal to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma
August 2015. Milan played Tottenham in a pre-season Audi Cup match at Munich's Allianz Arena. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola was watching.
After the game, Guardiola approached the man who had caught his eye – a 16-year-old goalkeeper who had come on as a half-time substitute named Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“He played a lot of defence in that game,” Alfredo Magni, Milan's then goalkeeping coach, recalled to Sky Sports. “He was a big supporter of the team, involved in a lot of the game.”
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“And Guardiola came up to him at the end of the game to congratulate him on his desire to see the game through to the end.”
Ten years later, Guardiola has taken a different approach to Donnarumma. The Manchester City manager has called on the Italian to become his first choice. But this time, he is not just a young wonderkid. He has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best.
City had Ederson, the title-winning, treble-winning goalkeeper, and they spent £27m on James Trafford, who could be City's and England's best player for a generation or two.
But Donnarumma's late move to City this summer proves one simple thing: when a player of his calibre becomes available, he is taken. No matter the context.
In the photo: Donnarumma is a Champions League winner with PSG
This is the European champion as part of the Italian national team. The current winner of the Champions League. And not just a champion by name, but a person who played a key role in these successes.
In Italy's victory at the 2021 European Championship, he saved three penalties in two penalty shootouts in the semi-finals and final, won by Spain and England respectively, and was subsequently named the tournament's best player.
Even this year, while Paris Saint-Germain's attacking stars have shone in the Champions League, particularly in the 5-0 final win over Inter, it is worth remembering Donnarumma's five decisive saves in both semi-final matches against Arsenal.
Pictured: Donnarumma made several top-class saves to deny Arsenal victory in the Champions League semi-finals.
Donnarumma, a player at the peak of his powers in his prime, is a key element of his aura, a “been there, done that” experience. Beyond the highlights on the biggest stage, it’s worth noting that he has played in Europe’s top five leagues for 10 years, despite being only 26.
His development began in December 2014, when Magni spotted him as a 14-year-old in Milan's academy. He was so talented that Milan's goalkeeping coach personally approached club owners Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani for permission to promote him to the first team.
“Anyone who saw him would notice there was something special about him,” he says. “He started his journey with technique, but more so with the physical side of his game.”
“Besides the technical side of the issue, I wanted him to become a goalkeeper who could stop even long shots that were out of his reach, so that he would not do only the bare minimum and think only about how not to make a mistake.
Pictured: Donnarumma's first goalkeeping coach was Alfredo Magni (left)
“But I think the most important thing we've worked on with him is injury prevention, support and strengthening of the body, and he's never been injured in his entire career. It started when he was 14 and it became more noticeable at 18. He's worked on that a lot.”
While many point out that Donnarumma's shot-stopping ability is his best trait, Magni disagrees.
“It's all about his willingness to learn and do what the coach tells him to do,” he says. “His biggest quality, apart from his physical attributes, is his talent for learning and applying what is required of him on the pitch.”
“Attitude is one thing, and character traits are another. If a person has a desire to do something, he puts it into these character traits. This is his main quality.”
Pictured: Donnarumma's greatest quality is his ability to learn, says Magni.
“He's very learning-oriented, and that's part of his talent. When you're faced with challenges, you react to overcome them. He's really talented at that.”
This is a big question when it comes to how Donnarumma will fit into the Manchester City squad. Can he be the goalkeeper Manchester City want?
That the goalkeeper is not ready for Guardiola's demands has already been highlighted this season when James Trafford made a high-profile error in City's 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham, while there have already been concerns about Donnarumma's own technical style.
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New Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford made his home debut with a vengeance, while regular keeper Ederson watched on from the bench.
“His passing is not good enough for Guardiola's team,” French football expert Julien Laurens told Sky Sports News this summer. So is he still the goalkeeper who played so fearlessly from the back as a 16-year-old under Guardiola's watchful eye?
“It's not that he can't play with his feet, but the coaches haven't given him the understanding of how he can do it,” Magny said.
And that ability to adapt and the willingness to learn will come in handy in City's current system. Guardiola prefers his team to play from the back with short passes to the full-backs, but long balls are also important, as Ederson has often done in the past.
After all, the Brazilian has made seven assists via these long balls in his Premier League career, four of which came last season.
As Magni says: “It’s all on a cognitive level: playing from deep or attacking long, where you hit the ball long and fast to create numerical superiority.”
“Donnarumma is capable of fulfilling any request the coach asks, whether it is playing from deep or playing on a longer basis.
“And I can guarantee that he has the ability to fulfil Guardiola's requirements, in terms of his talent and ability.”
Donnarumma has also been criticised for his inability to receive crosses, which led to PSG conceding 31 per cent of their goals from set pieces last season. “He doesn't like it,” said Lawrence. “If there's a league in the world where you have to be so brave, it's the Premier League.”
Image: Donnarumma's history of collecting crosses has been questioned
Again, this criticism came as a surprise given another of his strengths is his ability to read the game, having worked with the likes of Luis Enrique, Mauricio Pochettino, Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso, to name a few.
“I know for sure that Gianluigi is a very attentive person. He knows the game,” Magni says. “Despite being 26 years old, he has had to work with many coaches. He has had the opportunity to really understand the game and convey it to the players correctly.”
“He's someone who makes a big contribution – not just covering the goal, but closing down space when the ball is out there. That's where the goalkeeper needs to communicate with the defender. He runs, he gets up, he's there.”
With the likes of Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne gone, City are in need of experienced, top-class players this summer. Donnarumma fits the bill, but whether he will fit in stylistically remains to be seen.
Sourse: skysports.com
