September 21st 2025.
Football expert Gary Neville has recently praised the impact of Manchester City's new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Neville believes that the Italian 'animal' is a better goalkeeper compared to Arsenal's David Raya. Donnarumma joined City this summer from Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer fee of £26m, and Neville believes that he has already made a huge impact at the club.
Despite City also signing James Trafford from Burnley for a whopping £27m, Donnarumma has already established himself as the club's number one goalkeeper. The 26-year-old is widely considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, having helped PSG secure the Champions League trophy last season and winning the Euro 2020 with Italy.
Neville admits that if given the choice, he wouldn't pick Arsenal's Raya over Donnarumma, and he also believes that the Italian is better than Liverpool's Alisson Becker. He describes Donnarumma as a towering figure in the goal, making it difficult for opposing attackers to score. He also praises his dominance in the box and his positive actions, despite acknowledging that he may make mistakes along the way. Neville is impressed with Donnarumma's impact at City so far.
Neville's comments came after City's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, where he said on his Sky Sports podcast, "You look at Donnarumma, he's an absolute animal. He's just big. When he comes for it, it makes oncoming attackers think about it, because they know they're going to get a right bash in the head if he comes and hits you."
He continues, "For me, I think he's a fantastic goalkeeper. He's the type of goalkeeper I've always enjoyed. I like Alisson at Liverpool. I like Raya. But I wouldn't pick Raya over Donnarumma, or Alisson, because I love a massive goalkeeper. A Peter Schmeichel, an Edwin van der Sar... It makes a massive difference when your goalkeeper is towering above everyone else."
However, Neville is not the only one impressed by Donnarumma's performance. Metro's Football Newsletter offers personalized updates on Arsenal every day, so fans can wake up to the latest news on their club in their inbox every morning. By signing up for the newsletter and selecting their team, readers can receive tailored football news.
Metro at the Match also returns to bring fans all the analysis from the biggest games of the season. The team's key takeaways from Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester City include concerns about Victor Gyokeres' impact for Arsenal, with the Swedish player being anonymous in most of the games he has played for the club so far. Despite scoring against Leeds and Nottingham Forest at home, he has been forgettable against top teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, Athletic Club, and now Manchester City. While he may still end the season with decent numbers, it's unlikely that he will win Arsenal the Premier League title.
The team also criticizes manager Mikel Arteta's midfield selection, which was the same trio that faced Liverpool in their 1-0 defeat earlier this season. The team lacked creativity, especially with Martin Odegaard injured and Bukayo Saka not fit enough to start. The decision to drop Eberechi Eze to the bench baffled pundits, and Arteta eventually had to bring him and Saka on in the second half for Mikel Merino and Noni Madueke. The team believes that this was the second time Arteta got his selection wrong in a big game this season, and he needs to learn from his mistakes.
The match also saw another battle between Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhães, with the Norwegian striker coming out on top this time. Haaland's goal put Manchester City ahead, and he left Gabriel behind as he sprinted past the Arsenal defense. The two players have had an ongoing rivalry since Haaland threw the ball at Gabriel's head after a Manchester City equalizer in September last year. However, Gabriel gained revenge by screaming in Haaland's face during Arsenal's 5-1 win in February. This time, Haaland's impressive performance on the pitch gave him the upper hand in the rivalry.
Meanwhile, Neville has questioned Arteta's team selection and urged the manager to take more risks in big games. He believes that Arteta's decisions show that he doesn't have enough faith in his players and that he needs to send a message that he believes in them. He also criticizes Arteta's actions at half-time, where he made two substitutions, indicating that his initial selection was not going according to plan. Neville advises Arsenal to take the handbrake off and play more attacking football.
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