Man City fans want Enzo Maresca to make a surprising choice after the win over RB Leipzig.
Manchester City fans are calling on Enzo Maresca to bench one of his players after a disappointing game against RB Leipzig. City came into this match with a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 games against German teams in the Champions League. When Castello Lukeba scored an own goal in the 37th minute, it looked like they’d make it 11 wins.
But Leipzig fought back after halftime, with Ridle Baku scoring from a tough angle to even things up. Maresca’s team took the lead again through Enzo Fernandez an hour in, but Antonio Nusa quickly equalized. The visitors pushed forward for a winner, and it was Erling Haaland who came through, tapping in an empty net after a great setup by Elliot Anderson.
Maresca must have been relieved to see Haaland score again, but some players, especially goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, had a rough night. Donnarumma, who’s been making mistakes this season, was beaten at his near post by that tricky goal from Baku.
Fans took to X to share their thoughts on Donnarumma’s performance. One wrote, “Donnarumma can win you a game one week and lose it the next. His inconsistency isn’t what we want in a keeper.” Another added, “If we’re not careful, Donnarumma could ruin this club.” Some were even harsher, saying, “Donnarumma is the worst goalkeeper we’ve had.” Others suggested, “Just sell Donnarumma in January; we’ve got nothing to lose.” A fan also said, “They really should have kept James Trafford instead of selling him to Leeds.”
City signed Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain for about £26 million last year. He was solid in his first season, but at the start of the 2026/27 campaign, his mistakes have piled up. For example, he let a shot slip under him in their loss to Aston Villa and was at fault for a goal in their defeat against PSG.
Usually, managers give goalkeepers who are struggling a break, and Geronimo Rulli has been pushing for more game time. He impressed fans with his penalty shootout performance in the Carabao Cup win over Brighton. Some think Maresca should start Rulli in league or Champions League games, but Maresca has said he won’t drop Donnarumma.
Before losing 1-0 to Brighton, Maresca said, “Right now, it’s Gigio plus 10, but that doesn’t mean he’s undroppable. No player is undroppable, but right now, he’s our clear first choice.”
Whether Maresca changes his mind after the latest mistake against Leipzig remains to be seen. If he does decide to bench Donnarumma, it would mean going back on his own words.