A decisive contribution from Geronimo Rulli against Brighton has not altered the goalkeeping hierarchy at Manchester City. Although his shootout exploits in the Carabao Cup could fuel debate about Gianluigi Donnarumma’s position, Enzo Maresca remains unequivocal about which goalkeeper heads his selection order.
The summer brought Rulli back from Marseille in a deal costing just £1.7m, with the task of providing cover for Italy’s captain. Such an assured performance nevertheless offered evidence that the understudy could make a persuasive case for greater involvement.
Rulli delivers against Brighton, but Donnarumma keeps his place
At 34, Rulli produced two fully extended dives towards his left, thwarting Yasin Ayari and then Lewis Dunk with Brighton’s final pair of spot-kicks. Those interventions carried the defending champions into the Carabao Cup last eight. Earlier, after the interval, his fingertips had kept out Georginio Rutter: without that exceptional stop, City would not have reached a shootout following the 2-2 draw.
Despite that display, the veteran’s next assignment is a seat among the substitutes when the clubs meet again in this weekend’s Premier League fixture. Recent criticism of Donnarumma’s performances has not persuaded the manager to change his first choice.
Our correspondent asked whether the shootout winner had increased the pressure on Donnarumma. Maresca firmly rejected that suggestion, explaining that Rulli’s work had been positive but his place in the hierarchy was fully understood. For Saturday, the manager made clear, his selection would consist of Gigio and ten team-mates.
A familiar penalty hero makes his City return count
There is precedent for Rulli deciding a trophy contest from the spot. During Villarreal’s 2021 Europa League triumph over Manchester United, he converted his own attempt before stopping fellow goalkeeper David de Gea, bringing an exceptionally lengthy shootout to its conclusion and settling the final.
That contribution against City’s local rivals may already have earned him goodwill among their supporters. Wednesday evening’s performance will only have strengthened that bond and further secured their affection.
His earlier spell with the club, during 2016-17, yielded no senior outings. This time, his arrival filled the vacancy left by England international James Trafford, whose transfer to Leeds commanded £45m. On this evidence, City’s relatively inexpensive recruitment looks astute.
Maresca praises Rulli’s distribution and overall performance
At his pre-match press conference, Maresca had already described his reserve goalkeeper’s progress favourably and stressed that the duties of deputising for Donnarumma were clear to him. The manager maintained precisely that stance once the contest was over.
Meanwhile, Donnarumma and four colleagues, Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol, have received a three-day break to replenish their energy. The Italian is expected back on the training pitch this week, with Maresca hoping the pause restores his freshness. The manager has conceded that mistakes have crept into his goalkeeper’s game; last weekend, responsibility for Aston Villa‘s second goal lay with Donnarumma.
Assessing Rulli’s contribution beyond the shootout, the coach highlighted both a strong all-round display and effective involvement in constructing attacks. Brighton’s aggressive, individual marking made that particularly demanding. Maresca explained that City initially sought longer passes towards Floyd Samba, then switched after half-time to playing along the ground through Phil Foden. He also singled out one important stop as part of a positive performance.
City’s fightback opens another route towards the League Cup trophy
Nine alterations to the team defeated at Villa on Saturday came close to costing Maresca. Malick Yalcouye and Georginio Rutter each put the visitors in front, but the home side responded on both occasions, with Mateo Kovavic and Vitor Reis supplying the equalisers and demonstrating City’s resilience.
Instead, progression adds to an encouraging opening spell for the manager. His defeats so far have come only against Villa and Paris St-Germain, plus the Community Shield loss to Arsenal.
With Arsenal and Chelsea both eliminated from the League Cup, the holders’ attempt to keep the silverware continues against Bradford in the quarter-finals. Asked whether another title run now represented a significant opportunity, Maresca readily agreed.
He emphasised that a change of competition should bring no reduction in ambition. The project is still new, as are the players and a manager appointed three months earlier, but their obligation remains to win matches. In his assessment, that is exactly what they are currently achieving.
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