Enzo Maresca has warned his Manchester City players to stop putting Gianluigi Donnarumma under unnecessary pressure after the goalkeeper endured a nervy Champions League outing against Porto.
City began their European campaign with a valuable 2–0 victory at the Estádio do Dragão on Tuesday night, with Erling Haaland scoring twice after the break.
On paper, it was the perfect start for Maresca.
In reality, there were enough uncomfortable moments to leave the City boss with areas to address — and Donnarumma's involvement in possession was one of them.
Maresca made it clear after the match that he is delighted to have the Italy international between the posts.
But the manager does not want City's outfield players repeatedly returning the ball to him when there are better options available.
That message could become increasingly important as Maresca attempts to establish his own version of Manchester City.
Donnarumma was made to work unnecessarily hard
Donnarumma was not responsible for City's biggest concerns in Porto.
Instead, Maresca appeared more concerned about the decisions his teammates were making around him.
The Italian goalkeeper is comfortable with the ball at his feet, but that does not mean every difficult situation should end with a pass back to the goalkeeper.
Maresca therefore urged his players to be more decisive in possession and reduce unnecessary passes towards their No.1.
The warning comes after Donnarumma endured an uneasy evening in Portugal, with City occasionally making their own lives more difficult when attempting to build from the back.
Maresca has already made it clear that he considers Donnarumma one of the world's best goalkeepers, so the message was not an indictment of his new No.1.
It was instead a warning to those in front of him.
City got away with a difficult opening
The result ultimately hid some of the tension in City's performance.
Porto created an intimidating atmosphere at the Dragão and City were forced to withstand periods of pressure before eventually taking control.
The visitors lacked some of their usual fluency, particularly during the first half, but Haaland eventually provided the cutting edge.
The Norwegian headed City in front after the interval before adding his second later in the half to settle the contest.
It was enough to secure Maresca a Champions League victory in his first European match as City's manager.
But the manager will know that stronger opponents may punish the sort of mistakes City survived in Portugal.
That is particularly relevant when the team's own build-up play creates additional pressure.
Haaland delivers when City need him most
If Donnarumma was one of the concerns, Haaland was the solution.
The striker produced another devastating Champions League performance, scoring twice to take his competition tally to 59 goals in 59 appearances.
His first arrived after Enzo Fernández supplied the delivery, while Haaland later struck again to put the result beyond Porto.
The brace also took his Manchester City tally to 167 goals, underlining just how decisive he has become for the club.
Once again, City did not necessarily need to dominate every phase of the game.
They needed Haaland to convert the moments that mattered.
And he did exactly that.
Maresca's football is still taking shape
The warning over Donnarumma also provides an insight into the football Maresca wants City to play.
His approach still contains the positional-play principles associated with the club's recent identity, but there are signs that the new manager wants greater verticality and better decision-making when possession is secured.
That makes unnecessary backwards passing particularly frustrating.
The goalkeeper should be an additional option when City need to recycle possession.
He should not automatically become the destination whenever a player runs out of ideas.
Maresca's challenge is therefore not simply to make City more dominant.
It is to make them more purposeful.
Against Porto, there were moments when the team moved the ball too cautiously and invited pressure that could have been avoided.
That is precisely the kind of detail Maresca will want corrected before the Champions League becomes even more demanding.
Donnarumma remains central to the project
Despite the warning, there is no suggestion that Maresca has lost faith in Donnarumma.
Quite the opposite.
The City manager has previously described the goalkeeper as one of the best in the world and has spoken enthusiastically about working with him.
Donnarumma's arrival was designed to give City an elite presence behind their defence following the departure of Ederson.
His shot-stopping ability gives Maresca an important safety net, while his distribution can also contribute to City's build-up.
But there is an important difference between using a goalkeeper as part of the build-up and using him as an escape route whenever possession becomes uncomfortable.
Maresca's comments suggest he wants City to understand that distinction.
Porto victory gives Maresca room to improve
There is plenty for the City boss to be encouraged by.
Four competitive victories in a row have given his reign early momentum, while the Champions League victory removes one major question mark surrounding his ability to handle European pressure.
City also kept a clean sheet and found a way through a difficult away fixture.
Most importantly, they won without needing everything to go perfectly.
That is a valuable quality over the course of a Champions League campaign.
But Maresca will not want his players to become comfortable with relying on individual brilliance to escape difficult situations.
Haaland rescued City with his finishing.
Donnarumma's teammates now need to ensure they do not put their goalkeeper in unnecessary danger.
The warning is bigger than Donnarumma
Maresca's message is ultimately about City's collective mentality.
The Italian wants his players to recognise when to recycle possession, when to play forward and when a backwards pass genuinely improves the team's position.
Passing to Donnarumma is not inherently a problem.
Doing it simply because there is no obvious alternative is.
That distinction could become crucial as City face increasingly aggressive opponents.
Porto tested them.
Other Champions League contenders will test them even more severely.
For now, Maresca has the three points, a clean sheet and another Haaland masterclass.
But his warning has already identified one area where Manchester City must become smarter.
The goalkeeper can help City control games. He should not be asked to rescue them from their own indecision.
Fan Debate
⚽ GOAL: Haaland continues to deliver when Manchester City need him most.
🔥 FIRE: Maresca is right — City need to stop putting Donnarumma under unnecessary pressure.
😮 SHOCK: City won 2–0 despite looking far from their fluent best in Porto.
❤️ LIKE: Donnarumma remains a major asset for Maresca's new-look side.
💬 COMMENT: Do Manchester City still need to change their build-up style under Maresca?
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