Pep Guardiola has stated he will not intervene to discuss discipline with Gianluigi Donnarumma, despite the Manchester City goalkeeper being one yellow card away from a one-match suspension in the Premier League.
Donnarumma's Disciplinary Tightrope
The Italian international, a summer signing from Paris Saint-Germain, has collected four cautions in his first ten league appearances for the club. An analysis of the bookings reveals a pattern: three were for dissent, including one during last Saturday's dramatic 3-2 victory over Leeds United, with the other issued for time-wasting.
Should Donnarumma receive a fifth yellow card in any of City's next six fixtures, he will make an unwelcome piece of history. He would become the first goalkeeper to be banned for accumulating five Premier League bookings in a single season. While twelve keepers have reached five or more cautions before, none did so within the first 19 matches, the threshold for an automatic one-game ban.
Guardiola's Hands-Off Approach
When questioned about whether he would speak to his £50m signing about tempering his conduct, Guardiola was unequivocal. "No, he is adult enough," the City manager asserted. "For sure, we will step-by-step understand things in the league and new behaviours."
This trust from his manager places the responsibility squarely on the 26-year-old shot-stopper to adapt his game and avoid a costly suspension that would leave City short-handed between the posts.
Foden's Future and Goal Threat
The press conference also provided Guardiola with an opportunity to lavish praise on match-winner Phil Foden. The academy graduate scored a brace against Leeds, taking his league tally for the season to three goals in eleven outings.
With Foden's current contract set to expire in the summer of 2027, Guardiola expressed a clear desire for the England star to remain at the Etihad Stadium indefinitely. "Hopefully he can stay all his career here," Guardiola said. "He is a special player, a Man City fan from the academy."
The manager also backed Foden to significantly increase his goal output, referencing the attacker's haul of 19 goals in all competitions two seasons ago. "The years where we've been successful, not just the strikers [but] especially wingers, attacking midfielders [score many]," he explained. "So we need that." Only the prolific Erling Haaland, with 14 goals in 13 games, has scored more for City this campaign.
In other team news, midfielder Rodri will again be absent for City's upcoming trip to Fulham on Tuesday as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
