‘Calamity keeper’ or ‘human wall’ – which Donnarumma will Arsenal face?

A calamity keeper or the human wall? Which version of Gianluigi Donnarumma will face on Wednesday in France could determine Arsenal’s Champions League fate.

Will the giant Italian’s long arms, which saw Paris St-Germain escape Emirates Stadium with a 1-0 win, prevent them from being thwarted once more by the shot-stopper extraordinaire we saw in last week’s semi-final first leg?

Or could we see the return of the error-prone flapper who was left clutching at thin air as the Gunners scored from two crosses in a group-stage victory in October, where the 26-year-old put in the kind of unconvincing display that has put his entire future at the club in doubt?

Arsenal must score at Parc des Princes to be out, so Donnarumma’s form has improved significantly over the course of their dazzling Champions League campaign, which means they must score.

However, his pretended to be flaws have persisted for longer during PSG’s domestic campaign, with their only exception being their loss to Nice last week, which put an end to their unbeaten Ligue 1 campaign with only four games left.

He has performed plenty of heroics down the years, but PSG fans don’t just remember Donnarumma for his big saves because, since he arrived on a free transfer from AC Milan in 2021, there have been plenty of bad errors too.

In any case, a modern goalkeeper should have much more than just squandering the ball out of the net, and his footwork is seen as another area of weakness.

So, when we consider who is the best keeper on earth, does that put him in the wrong place, or is he just further evidence that there isn’t a perfect all-around player for his position?

At 6ft 5in, Donnarumma’s sheer size makes him an imposing figure, physically.

When he is facing a penalty, it is obvious that that is helpful, but it is where he uses his enormous frame when dealing with shots or onrushing strikers in open play that more impressed Robinson than anything else.

Robinson told BBC Sport, “He’s massive, but his positional awareness in his box is excellent. “That’s down to the depth perception he has when he is reading a through ball and his understanding of where his line is.

Many goalkeepers are conned into running off their line to try to close the angle and the shot, and they believe they are better positioned to be further away from the goal. Sometimes I did it myself, and you find that the shot is already past you.

Although his performance has fluctuated, Donnarumma’s contract situation is primarily what will keep him from having a difficult future.

He has one year left on the five-year deal he signed when he joined PSG, and has reportedly been in talks about an extension.

Donnarumma wants to stay, according to his agent, Enzo Raiola, but he has also been linked to a Milan-Internal summer return, and it seems PSG may have other options in mind.

According to French football journalist Laurens, “The club are taking their time to decide what to do.”

Chevalier, 23, is considered the future of French goalkeeping because of his passing prowess and saving skills. At the end of 2024, he made his senior debut for Les Bleus, but he hasn’t yet done so.

” PSG have not made their minds up, “added Laurens”. Can Donnarumma really get them an upgrade, and if so, who is Chevalier?

What do they do if they receive money for Donnarumma, which might be between £25 and £30 million, as a result of their pure profit?

” The problem they have with Donnarumma is not on his line, where he is great – everyone at the club recognises that. Simply put, I believe that Luis Enrique, the PSG boss, prefers to have a capable goalkeeper who can move the ball more quickly.

Some PSG fans have grown weary of Donnarumma’s errors, which have made him subject of the French media, with one performance in particular coming away as difficult to forget.

“He got some criticism recently for Harvey Elliott’s goal against Liverpool, which was bad, then he made a mistake when they lost to Nice too, when their first goal went under his arm”, Laurens said.

He has tried to improve that, just like he has tried to improve with the ball at his feet, but none of his flaws have much improved.

“I think also he still carries with him his worst moment, the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid in 2022.

With 30 minutes left, PSG were 1-0 up at the Bernabeu after winning the first leg, which was also won by 1-0, but Karim Benzema kind of barged into Donnarumma, got the ball off him, scored, and then Benzema scored two more goals quickly to send PSG out.

Donnarumma may have some critics, but statistics show that he is superior to any other goalkeeper in the world in recent research.

The CIES Football Observatory Index measures the quality of domestic chances, including how many goals are anticipated in those chances are compared to how many are conceded, as well as the level of games played and results obtained.

Robinson came up with an alternative top three, which included Donnarumma and Alisson, using a different criteria, including his eyes.

Alisson is the best goalkeeper in the world, Robinson said, “because he hasn’t forgotten the fundamentals of goalkeeping, which are keeping the ball out of the net.”

“Commanding your box, communicating with your back four, stopping shots and dealing with one on ones are all part of that, but he can adapt to the modern way of playing out from the back too, without taking it to the next level like Ederson does.

You can put Ederson, Jan Oblak, and Donnarumma in the same category because they are “the best with his feet,” but Alisson, Jan Oblak, and Jan Oblak at Atletico Madrid, all come in the same category.

Donnarumma embodies the tenet “to be the very best you need the right mindset.” He has played so many games since his debut for AC Milan aged 16 that he is much more experienced than most keepers his age.

He is comfortable on the biggest stage because of his maturity, which he has already demonstrated many times.