Maresca says Donnarumma’s mistakes at Manchester City are normal

Enzo Maresca has backed Gianluigi Donnarumma after mistakes by the goalkeeper in Manchester City’s recent defeats. The manager believes such errors are part of football and do not erase Donnarumma’s good work since they began working together. City’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this month is among the episodes that brought renewed scrutiny: Donnarumma was held responsible for goals by Désiré Doué and Maghnes Akliouche.

The loss to Aston Villa came alongside the defeat by PSG. At Villa Park on Saturday, Nicolas Jackson scored the winner with a long-range effort that went under the goalkeeper’s body. It was Manchester City’s first league defeat of the season.

Maresca put the mistakes in the context of a season and recent results. “As a football player or manager, when you don’t get results or make some mistakes, it’s normal. It’s a consequence,” he said. He also said Donnarumma had been doing well since they started working together, and that mistakes can happen over the course of a season.

The schedule was another part of his explanation: players feature in many matches and accumulate minutes, he argued, which can sometimes make mistakes difficult to avoid. Maresca described Donnarumma as a strong character and stressed that the goalkeeper did not need to be told when he had made an error. “He knows that when he makes a mistake, he doesn’t need us to tell him,” he said.

The manager also expressed his satisfaction with Marc, describing him as a leader and one of the captains. He praised Marc’s reaction and compared his situation with Gigio’s when mistakes are made.

After the Villa game, five players — Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson, Gigio and Josko Gvardiol — were given three days off to recover. Donnarumma is also due to be rested when Brighton visit on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup.