Why Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma pursuit means Pep Guardiola is changing his Premier League style

Nine years ago, Pep Guardiola arrived in the Premier League ready to bow the vision of the English audience on the keeper towards him. Manchester City had Joe Hart Between the sticks, but the best choice of England could not play with his feet. He should go.

Guardiola had already adjusted the principles he brought from Barcelona and Bayern Munich for this summer. It is difficult to imagine that the man who arrived for the first time at Etihad had a vision to play with four central backs on his defense one day, or an attack whose ruling philosophy may simply be “when there is not a het on screen, all other characters should ask:” Where is Haaland? “That is not criticism. Guardiolas insist on innovating high is what makes him one of the greatest managers ever.

Guardiola’s search for improvement brought him back to where he started. After several Niggly seasons that often seemed to be successful, despite Ederson, who rarely was more than two or three off-color matches of the bank, City has overhauled their goalkeeper department. The largest bullet-playing keeper of his generation is on his way to Galatasaray, his replacements are two of last season’s excellent shot stoppers.

Of course Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was closed after a move to the city after they had pressed his contract test with Paris Saint-Germain, one of the best in the fact that the ball has been keeping the net out of the net for a while. The 26-year-old struggled in the first months of last season, but not for the first time in his career, Timed his form to a tee.

In the Champions League, the Italian international was excellent, perhaps the reason why Paris Saint-Germain stood Arsenal In the semi-final, and in every year of the competition in which he played, he admitted fewer goals than the Post-shot XG value of the shots with which he is dealing with. As a pure shot stopper, Donnarumma exists alongside Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak as one of the best in the industry.

What Donnarumma is not is a keeper who looks at his feet at ease with the ball. Even the very best have moments as the Italian did in the Champions League 2022, which handed the ball and the draw to Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, but Donnarumma looks bad when the ball goes back to him. Given the possession of the dominant team in which he plays, he rarely touches the ball than most keepers, on average more than 20 percent fewer touches per 90 minutes than the man he replaces. It doesn’t matter how much Guardiola works on the technology of Donnarummma, he doesn’t get a goalkeeper who can ping a 60-Yard ball on a striker like Edererson could.

James Trafford, who would have the right to feel a bit of herself that his big returns of Burnley To claim that the city no. 1 shirt could end that he would heat the couch behind a Yashin Trophy winner. Trafford would have the feeling that he earned a great performance after a stunning season in the championship, his 29 clean sheets in 45 games and 12.48 goals undoubtedly prevented a vital factor in the promotion in front of Scott Parker. Again City first signed a shot stopper, someone who has already made a controversial blunder with the ball on his feet.

Swinging to a shot stopper reflects wider changes in what Guardiola seems to want from City. This has been a more transition team, a less plan to pursue control because of the check. If that is the long -term version and city games become more open, they need a high -quality shot stopper for all the opportunities they give up. On the other hand, two decades from Guardiola in Management suggest that this is a man who ultimately wants to control it above everything. If that turns out to be the case, City may have made the wrong choice between the sticks.