Gianluigi Donnarumma has dismissed suggestions that Manchester City are enduring a ‘transition’ season, insisting the club are determined to compete for every trophy on offer this term.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has backed his side to compete on all fronts this season.
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When Manchester City waved goodbye to the spine of their all-conquering side over the summer - with Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones all following legendary manager Pep Guardiola out the door - plenty were quick to write off the current campaign as a rebuilding year at the Etihad Stadium.
After all, this was not simply a case of losing personnel. The club faced the prospect of a future without its talismanic head coach, longest-serving players and the Ballon d'Or-winning heart of the most dominant era in its history, and handed Enzo Maresca the daunting task of following Guardiola while bedding in a raft of new faces. On paper, a period of adjustment looked all but inevitable.
So far, though, City have made that notion look somewhat premature. Enzo Maresca’s side have won each of their opening four Premier League fixtures, a run crowned by a battling derby success away at Manchester United, and their goalkeeper is having none of the narrative that this is a season of treading water.
Donnarumma: I Don’t Like the Word 'Transition'
Speaking to Sky Sports, Donnarumma pushed back firmly against the notion that this is a rebuilding year, making clear the club’s ambitions remain sky high.
“I don’t really like the word ‘transition,’” he said. “The club’s objective is to win. This team’s objective is to win. We’ll certainly give everything we can to achieve that.
“We could reach the end of the season having won something, or having won nothing. But what’s important is having a winning mentality, going out there and trying to win everything we possibly can.”
Gianluigi Donnarumma has hailed Manchester City’s ‘sublime’ display in their battling 10-man derby victory over Manchester United, while also questioning the red card shown to Phil Foden.cityxtra.co.ukDonnarumma Hails 'Sublime' Man City Performance in Old Trafford Derby Win
Gianluigi Donnarumma has hailed Manchester City’s ‘sublime’ display in their battling 10-man derby victory over Manchester United, while also questioning the red card shown to Phil Foden.
New Leaders Driving the Standards
The Italian belongs to a freshly-assembled leadership group - alongside Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi and Erling Haaland - installed to fill the void left by the departing senior figures, with all four boasting a proven track record of lifting silverware.
Their job is to set the tone for a batch of new arrivals, among them Elliot Anderson, Iliman Ndiaye and Ayyoub Bouaddi, as they acclimatise to life at one of the game's most demanding clubs.
“We’ve changed a few players. A few new ones have arrived,” Donnarumma said. “They’re all top players who are used to playing on the biggest stages, dealing with certain situations, and playing in the Premier League.
“It’s not easy at the beginning when you move to a new club, a new organisation, a new city. But they’re adapting well, and we’re making them feel comfortable. The players who were already here are helping them a lot. I think we’re going to have a great season.”
Arsenal Stand in the Way
If City are to deliver on that promise, they will likely have to see off Arsenal, who have made an equally flawless start and edged the Blues to last season’s title with just days to spare.
That agonising conclusion, in which City slipped up when it mattered most away to Bournemouth to hand Mikel Arteta’s men the crown, was captured in a recently-aired documentary chronicling Guardiola’s final campaign in charge. Donnarumma knows all about that heartbreak, but insists the disappointment is simply part of the game.
“It’s difficult, but that’s football, that’s life. You’re not on your own,” he added.. “It’s important to go into every game trying to win it. Certainly, our objective will be to win, but there are other teams too. You have to compete, you have to work, and you have to do everything possible because the history of this club demands it.”
With the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League both in his sights, Donnarumma’s message could hardly be clearer. City may look very different this season, but their appetite for silverware remains exactly the same - and the goalkeeper is adamant the best is still to come.