Maresca backs Donnarumma after costly errors, and rests him for Brighton

Enzo Maresca has stood by Gianluigi Donnarumma after the Manchester City goalkeeper's costly mistakes in defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.

The City manager said that it is normal for players and managers to make errors when results are not going their way. He said Donnarumma has been doing well since the start of the season, and that mistakes are part of a long campaign. The Guardian reported the comments.

Maresca described Donnarumma as a strong character who spots his own mistakes without needing anyone to point them out. For a goalkeeper, whose errors often end up in the back of the net, that is a useful quality to have.

The backing comes with a change in the team. Donnarumma will be rested for City's Carabao Cup match against Brighton, the domestic League Cup, where Geronimo Rulli will deputise.

Maresca also gave five players, Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, Elliot Anderson, Donnarumma and Joško Gvardiol, three days off after the Aston Villa game so they could recover their energy. Rest is a common tool when a squad is short of legs, and the break has a second purpose here: it gives the keeper room to reset.

This is not the first time Maresca has talked about his goalkeeper's position in the team. Back in September, he warned City players against making unnecessary passes back to Donnarumma. He also said that on a few occasions the problem was not the keeper's error at all, but a teammate's decision to pass the ball back to him. At the time, he said he was "very happy" with the goalkeeper.

Donnarumma, who is known by the nickname Gigio, has now been through a tougher stretch. What stands out is the tone from the manager. Maresca is treating the bad run as something the squad can work through together, and he is not looking for someone to blame.