PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's weakness under the high ball is increasingly obvious. Although PSG coach Luis Enrique has not made an issue of it, Donnarumma’s errors may prove costly to them if the French league title race is closer this season. PSG tops the table on goal difference from Monaco ahead of Sunday's trip to face Nice, which scored eight goals in its previous home game.
Donnarumma’s blunders were exposed in Tuesday's 2-0 loss at Arsenal in the Champions League . Although Enrique did not blame him for the goals, the mistakes were evident and worryingly similar to ones last season in Europe's elite competition. Arsenal’s first goal saw a hesitant Donnarumma beaten as Kai Havertz — hardly the most renowned at headers in world soccer — anticipated a cross from Leandro Trossard and nodded the ball in.
Italy’s No. 1 goalie was beaten again when Bukayo Saka’s low free kick from the right went straight under him. He was not entirely at fault, since his view of the ball may have been obscured, but there seemed to be no talking between Donnarumma and his defenders.
It all looked very familiar. Last season in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Barcelona , Donnarumma failed to come for a corner and central defender Andreas Christensen headed in the winner. Despite his imposing stature — Donnarumma is 1.
96 meters tall — he stood rooted to his line and seemed unsure how to judge the ball's flight. Earlier .
