ETIHAD STADIUM, MANCHESTER — Having Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal is making life easier for Manchester City's defenders, according to Josko Gvardiol.
Wednesday's comfortable 4-1 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund was Donnarumma's 11th game for City since completing his £26 million ($34m) deadline-day switch from Paris Saint-Germain. Pep Guardiola's side have won eight of those, losing just one. Donnarumma has conceded seven goals during this time and kept five clean sheets.
The 26-year-old Italy star was deemed surplus to requirements at PSG despite helping them to a historic treble last season and certainly marks a stylistic change for his predecessor as City No. 1, the freewheeling playmaker-keeper Ederson. Similar could be said for James Trafford, who grew up in City's academy system and started this season as first choice.
But Gvardiol, who returned from an injury lay-off in time for Donnarumma's debut in September's 3-0 derby win over Manchester United and has been a mainstay for Guardiola ever since, believes the ex-AC Milan star takes the load off defenders in a way few other goalkeepers do.
MORE: Man City's three Lions send message to England boss Thomas Tuchel
"It's much easier, yeah, much easier," Gvardiol replied when asked what it was like playing in front of the hulking 6ft 5ins shot-stopper, who gave the Croatia international a hearty thump on the shoulder as he talked to reporters.
"Of course, I mean, Man City as a club, always in the past, they had really good goalkeepers. Gigio is one of them as well.
"He adapted really quickly and and I think that's a really important thing because I know when I joined Man City, how long it took me to adapt to the league to all the competitions.
"We are happy that he's part of our team and he's been doing good as well."
Even if Donnarumma does not conform to the Guardiola archetype, he completely fits where the Catalan is at right now, in the 10th year of his City tenure and coming off a trophyless season that posed major questions.
Getty
Much of Guardiola's public conversations about his team this term have centred on "vibes" and the importance of maintaining a robust positivity after the trials of the 2024/25 season. City do a lap of honour after every home victory now and wrap themselves in team huddles at every opportunity. In Donnarumma and Erling Haaland, who inevitably scored again in midweek to move on to 18 for the season, he has two big men and big characters doing big things at both ends of the pitch.
"It's not just about [Donnarumma], it's about everyone in the team and I think, we can do even better," Gvardiol said. "The good thing I see is that we fight for each other, we work for each other, we communicate even more than before and also it's much easier when you have a goalkeeper like Gigio.
"He's really good on the ball and, especially with his height, he's not afraid to come out of the line. He's important for us."
Donnarumma's adaptation to life at City has not been seamless. During last weekend's 3-1 win over Bournemouth, he botched a punch that led to Tyler Adams' equaliser and then extensively argued with the officials over a potential foul from David Brooks until he was booked.
The Dortmund game was not without hairy moments, not least when Donnarumma came romping out of his area to make consecutive sliding tackles during the second half. However, Gvardiol views all of this as part of a fierce competitive spirit that is helping to propel the team into these crucial winter months.
"What kind of character is he? You can see every time, he argues with the referees and he gets booked almost every game," he chuckled.
"But that's what we need because, for me as a defender, when you see that someone from the goal is pushing you, supporting you for 90 minutes, then I can push the ones in front of me."