Man City Round-Up, Friday 6th November: Maresca Backs Donnarumma Despite Admitting He's "Made Mistakes"
Enzo Maresca has again thrown his support behind Gianluigi Donnarumma, insisting the goalkeeper knows he has "made mistakes" during his recent run of shaky performances (ESPN). The City boss addressed the issue in his press conference, with reports suggesting Donnarumma has taken the criticism in a relatively relaxed way as he looks to work through his form (Manchester Evening News). The Guardian also touched on the story as part of its wider Premier League round-up, noting Maresca's continued backing of his number one (The Guardian).
Attention now turns to Saturday's trip to the City Ground, where City face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Maresca held his pre-match press conference to preview the game, covering team news and the general mood around the squad (ManCity.com), with Manchester Evening News running a live blog of his comments and the latest injury updates (Manchester Evening News). Sports Mole has also pulled together the team news picture, including the injury and suspension situation for both sides along with predicted line-ups (Sports Mole). Manchester Evening News believes Maresca is taking a deliberately "aggressive" approach to squad rotation and selection as he manages what's being described as a season-long "marathon" for City (Manchester Evening News).
There's extra interest in the Forest fixture given Elliot Anderson's return to his former club following his big-money move to City. BBC Sport has been looking at whether the £116m signing has lived up to his price tag so far (BBC Sport), while a City fan quoted by the broadcaster believes Anderson has the potential to become a genuine club legend in time (BBC Sport). Maresca has also discussed his plans for using Anderson alongside Ayyoub Bouaddi, having already paired the pair together in midfield against Brighton (Manchester Evening News).
On the international front, Anderson and Marc Guéhi have both been called up by England, as confirmed on the club's official site (ManCity.com). Manchester Evening News also covered the squad announcement, noting that Kobbie Mainoo's situation was addressed as part of the same England news involving both Manchester clubs (Manchester Evening News). Nico O'Reilly, however, has been left out of Thomas Tuchel's squad due to fitness-related issues, with Sports Mole explaining why the omission could actually benefit O'Reilly, City and England alike by allowing him to rest (Sports Mole). Maresca gave his own reaction to the England news, with Manchester Evening News covering his comments on O'Reilly's absence (Manchester Evening News), and the club's own website confirming the midfielder will use the break to rest and recuperate (ManCity.com).
Elsewhere, Rayan Cherki has been recognised for his quality strike against Liverpool, picking up the October Goal of the Month award as announced on ManCity.com (ManCity.com).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
