Manchester City’s season started off well enough.
They eased to a 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers to signal their title intentions on the opening weekend. Midfielder Tijani Reijnders the star of the show at Molineux.
Since that victory in Wolverhampton, however, things haven’t gone quite according to plan for Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Citizens lost 0-2 at home to bogey team Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 2. And they followed that up with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday. Erling Haaland gave Man City a first-half lead, only for James Milner and Brajan Gruda to turn the game on its head.
Guardiola’s men are already six points behind league leaders Liverpool after the opening three games. The Man City rebuild is going to be a little tougher to stomach than some had hoped.
It was a rebuild that started back in January. Man City splashed the cash for Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis. And it continued over the summer with Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and James Trafford all rocking up at the Etihad.
Even the Trafford’s return, though, isn’t enough for the Premier League title contenders. They look to be closing in on the signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain. The Italian was offered a new contract at the Parc des Princes, yet has since lost his spot to summer signing Lucas Chevalier. The writing was on the wall for Donnarumma when he was left out of the Uefa Super Cup squad last month.
Now Ederson looks all but set for away from the Etihad, heavily linked to Fenerbahce. And Guardiola appears reluctant to continue the season with Trafford, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli as his goalkeeping options. The signing of Donnarumma, though, suggests a change in tact from the Man City boss. He had previously demanded his goalkeepers effectively act as an 11th outfielder.
What does Donnarumma bring to the table?
There’s no denying that Donnarumma is one of the best shot-stoppers in European football. The towering Italy international has routinely drawn plaudits for his cat-like reflexes. And he was instrumental as PSG ended their lengthy wait for a major European trophy last season, easing to a 5-0 win over Inter in Munich. There was the odd hiccup along the way, but the pros outweighed the cons.
But the signing of Donnarumma to go with the departure of Ederson feels like a shift in goalkeeping priorities. Guardiola previously needed his shot-stoppers to be elite with their feet. But the move for Donnarumma — and the willingless to sell Ederson — feels as though Guardiola is open to changing his principles. Improving Man City’s defensive resolve now feels the main priority.
Passes and long balls
This is evident when looking at the Comparison Matrix. Ederson trumped Donnarumma for all the key passing stats in their respective leagues lats season. He averaged 31.7 passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League, compared to Donnarumma’s 23.4 in Ligue 1. Ederson had better passing accuracy too, at 86.26% to 85.42%. It was a similar case when looking at long passes. Ederson came out better for long balls per 90 (9.4 to 6.0) and long ball accuracy (57.92% to 44.6%). And he averaged more forward passes per 90 (14.7 to 8.4).
One of the main reasons for Man City signing Ederson in 2017 was his ability with the ball at his feet. Joe Hart — a quality shot-stopper – was ousted for Claudio Bravo in 2016 for his very reason. And Man City upgraded on the Chilean with Ederson the following year. While Ederson’s overall goalkeeping ability had been called into question, Man City dominated games so much that there was minimal need for a shot-stopper.
However, with the ever-changing landscape of football, managers seem happier to prioritise shot-stopping over ball playing. Enzo Maresca’s decision to continue with Robert Sanchez at Chelsea a case in point. So too was Barcelona’s decision to sign Joan Garcia. And this quality to Donnarumma’s game is a key reason behind the push to sign the 26-year-old.
Shot-stopping
Donnarumma has been the best shot-stopper in Europe since his PSG debut in September 2021. The Italian’s save success rate of 74.94% is the best in Europe’s top five leagues among those to have made at least 300 saves during that time. Donnarumma has made 312 saves in total. Over the same period, Ederson’s save success rate in the Premier League was 65.7%. And that came from 96 fewer saves. Although that figure does rise across the entirety of his Premier League career (68.05%).
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Even so, the choice to move for Donnarumma and willingness to sell Ederson is clear to see. Even if that means Guardiola is likely to tinker with his gameplan. What this means for Trafford, though, remains to be seen. The 22-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong since his return to Man City — a few shaky moments against Tottenham side. And, to some, he fits the modern goalkeeper profile.
That being said, when a goalkeeper of Donnarumma’s calibre comes on the market, you don’t turn your nose up at the chance to sign him. Even if one starting goalkeeper has already come through the door. Man City’s overall dominance may dip again this season, especially if Donnarumma is unable to at least match Ederson’s distribution numbers. But a goalkeeper as experienced as the Italian will aid Man City in the long run.
Donnarumma may not be a Guardiola goalkeeper by any stretch. But the ability to make the impossible saves look easy shows that Donnarumma’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses. Crucially, too, is that his arrival means Guardiola has options between the sticks.
While Trafford is the modern goalkeeper, Donnarumma throws it back to the old school ‘defence first’ way of goalkeeping. And there are few shot-stoppers in the world better than the Euro 2020 winner. He wouldn’t have topped Man City’s goalkeeper wishlist at the start of the summer, yet Donnarumma adds a winners’ mentality to the squad, a key aspect as title rivals continue to strengthen.