Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola has ruled out speaking with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma about accumulating yellow cards, citing the 26-year-old as "adult enough" to understand his need to temper his conduct. The Italian's booking tally has risen to four in just 10 Premier League appearances, prompting concerns that he could become the first goalkeeper to receive a one-match ban for five bookings.
With three of Donnarumma's yellow cards resulting from dissent, including an incident during Saturday's 3-2 win over Leeds, and the other for time-wasting, the City manager acknowledged that his player is approaching the mark. However, Guardiola emphasized that he will not engage in discussions about caution with Donnarumma as a one-to-one conversation, instead choosing to address the issue collectively through team meetings.
The Premier League's rulebook states that goalkeepers who accumulate five cautions within their first 19 league matches are eligible for a one-match ban. While 12 other goalkeepers have achieved this milestone in previous seasons, none did so as quickly as Donnarumma has in just 10 appearances.
Meanwhile, Guardiola expressed optimism over the future of Phil Foden, whose contract expires in summer 2027. The midfielder has made an impressive start to the season, scoring twice against Leeds and contributing to a team effort that saw City secure a 3-2 victory.
Foden's goal tally this season stands at three goals in 11 league appearances, with Guardiola predicting he could surpass his previous high of 19 goals from two seasons ago. The manager highlighted the importance of wingers and attacking midfielders in driving the team's attacking success, as evident during their recent win over Leeds.
However, Foden will be absent for City's upcoming match against Fulham due to a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since Saturday's game.
With three of Donnarumma's yellow cards resulting from dissent, including an incident during Saturday's 3-2 win over Leeds, and the other for time-wasting, the City manager acknowledged that his player is approaching the mark. However, Guardiola emphasized that he will not engage in discussions about caution with Donnarumma as a one-to-one conversation, instead choosing to address the issue collectively through team meetings.
The Premier League's rulebook states that goalkeepers who accumulate five cautions within their first 19 league matches are eligible for a one-match ban. While 12 other goalkeepers have achieved this milestone in previous seasons, none did so as quickly as Donnarumma has in just 10 appearances.
Meanwhile, Guardiola expressed optimism over the future of Phil Foden, whose contract expires in summer 2027. The midfielder has made an impressive start to the season, scoring twice against Leeds and contributing to a team effort that saw City secure a 3-2 victory.
Foden's goal tally this season stands at three goals in 11 league appearances, with Guardiola predicting he could surpass his previous high of 19 goals from two seasons ago. The manager highlighted the importance of wingers and attacking midfielders in driving the team's attacking success, as evident during their recent win over Leeds.
However, Foden will be absent for City's upcoming match against Fulham due to a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since Saturday's game.
"Believe you can and you're halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt 
. Hope both of them return ASAP so City can make a strong push for that league title 
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. But Phil Foden's injury news is bummer. Hope he recovers quickly! 
like why is he getting all those yellow cards rn i know city's been doing well but cmon chill out lol 
and pep is hyping him up to score even more goals than last season would be awesome to see that happen 
the prem league rulebook can be tough but i think he'll manage it just fine 
and omg phil foden is on fire this season 
cant wait to see him score again soon 
i mean pep guardiola is right though, gianluigi donnarumma should know better by now. but did you guys see that video of lewis hamilton's car crash? crazy! anyway back to football... has anyone seen the new nike air force 1s? they look fire 
anyway, glad pep is lookin out 4 him... don't wanna see him get benched or suspended 
i hope he can stay healthy & keep scoring those goals 
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. Injury woes aside, City's got a bright future ahead of them 
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! He's always been an underrated talent but this season he's really stepping up his game. Hopefully he can get back on the pitch soon for City 
. It's not like he's the first goalkeeper to get booked or anything, right? And yeah, let's be real, time-wasting is just a fancy word for "I'm tired of playing" 
. Foden on the other hand, I think Pep is being way too optimistic about him scoring 19 goals again 
. We all know that's never gonna happen, especially if he keeps getting injured like this 
. Can't we just focus on the actual game instead of analyzing every little move? 
Like, I get it, but what's next? A kid who's 10 and got a red card for throwing a tantrum in soccer practice? 
Hope Phil recovers soon and gets to shine in their next match