ANALYSIS: Enzo Maresca is insistent that Gianluigi Donnarumma's form is not a worry for Manchester City, but the contrast with title rivals Arsenal and rock-solid David Raya is plain to see

The more Enzo Maresca protests, the less convincing he sounds.

The Manchester City manager must prefer to answer questions about Gianluigi Donnarumma than the looming question marks over the club's guilty verdict, but only just.

They have been a recurring theme this season - and for good reason. The stats show that Donnarumma has made three errors leading to goals in all competitions this season and there have been plenty of other moments of peril to go with them.

City's giant goalkeeper was beaten at the near post by Ridle Baku's attempted cross due to his poor positioning in their 3-2 win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday. In the 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa 11 days prior, he let Nicolas Jackson's low shot squirm through his grasp.

These are not isolated incidents. In the 1-0 win over Coventry in early September, Donnarumma nearly allowed a routine back-pass from Abdukodir Khusanov over the goalline. He was forced to scramble it off the line in a near-calamitous moment that was the headline of a jittery performance.

And yet Maresca has refused to even entertain the topic as one open to debate. "It's not a concern, but it's a mistake," Maresca said after the Leipzig error. "We recognise that; he knows that it's a mistake, but now it's Nottingham Forest away, we need to be focused on that."

The City boss was echoing his previous comments after the Villa defeat. "Gigio, since we started, is doing well," he insisted. "Like any player or any manager at some point, he is making some mistakes, but it's part of the season.

"They are playing so many games and minutes that sometimes it's impossible not to make some mistakes. He's quite a strong guy. He knows when he makes some mistakes. He doesn't need us to tell him. Sometimes it's so clear, so they recognise that. It's part of the game."

Of course, mistakes are part of the game. But currently they are not a part of David Raya's game: the Arsenal goalkeeper is yet to make an error leading to a goal in the Premier League this season. And in a title race that could be decided by tiny margins, it is a difference worth exploring, even if Maresca doesn't want to.

Donnarumma 'confusing himself'

Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart launched an impassioned defence of Donnarumma on The Overlap Daily, insisting that the Italian was trying to cut out Baku's cross and be a team player when he was beaten by a freak goal. He also pointed out that Donnarumma made a world-class save only he was capable of in the same game.

Yet even the staunch City supporter conceded Donnarumma was "confusing himself" through his positioning and should instead be more focused on preventing "the worst-case scenario", rather than being constantly on the front foot being proactive.

There is another factor that should be laid out in Donnarumma's defence: the age-old truism that a goalkeeper is only as good as his defence. Donnarumma has faced 33 shots on target in the Premier League this season, which is 11 more than Raya.

City, and in particular Marc Guehi, have been error-prone and unusually shaky at the back this season, while Arsenal - with their beefed-up backline thanks to the signing of Ezri Konsa - have been typically resolute. Arsenal therefore have six clean sheets to City's three in the Premier League, having conceded five goals to City's 10.

Square peg in a round hole

Concerns over Donnarumma are nothing new. As soon as City decided to sign him from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2025, there were question marks over how he'd fit into Pep Guardiola's playing style. The Italy international is renowned as a fantastic shot-stopper, not a ball-playing keeper of the modern era.

Donnarumma only ended up playing one season under Guardiola before Maresca arrived, but those question marks remain. Despite his repeated defending of his goalkeeper and admission that Geronimo Rulli isn't really an option as a replacement, it is something Maresca is aware of.

"I think a few times tonight it's not Gigio's mistake, it's more the wrong decisions to go back to Gigio," he said after the 2-0 win over Porto in September. "Sometimes we go too many times back to Gigio when we don't need."

Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel believes that while Raya was recruited specifically to fit Mikel Arteta's style, Donnarumma is more of a square peg in a round hole.

"They're completely different goalkeepers, and it's about how you want to play," Friedel told Mirror Football on behalf of Grosvenor Sport. "I mean, Donnarumma stands at six foot five and Raya's barely six foot.

"I would say Raya is probably better on crosses than Donnarumma, believe it or not, because he has great timing and great spring when he comes out for a ball. I think Donnarumma is a huge presence in goal. If you're a striker and you look up, you're probably thinking, where can I strike to score?

"Whereas Raya is a little bit different. He uses his quickness for his saves. So as a striker, you probably think the corner's free, and then before you know it, Raya's hand's there."

Raya has the edge

"They're completely different goalkeepers," Friedel added. "Playing out of the back, I would say Raya has the advantage. Certain shot-stopping areas, probably Donnarumma has a little advantage because of his size.

"But it's really what you want from your goalkeeper, too. With Raya, he fits perfectly in Arteta's style and system, and looks like a character as well, and he has been a huge part of that.

"With Donnarumma, I don't have that many games to go by yet to know if he's the perfect fit for Maresca's style or not. But he's definitely a quality goalkeeper. But I would probably give Raya a little bit of an advantage over him with everything that I just said, as far as fitting in a system."

Arsenal, it seems, have the best of both worlds in Raya. City, however, may need to adapt their playing style to avoid more costly errors from Donnarumma.