'calamity Keeper' Or 'human Wall' - Which Donnarumma Will Arsenal Face?

A calamity keeper aliases nan quality wall? Arsenal's Champions League destiny could beryllium decided by which type of Gianluigi Donnarumma they look successful France connected Wednesday.

Will they beryllium thwarted again by nan shot-stopper extraordinaire we saw successful past week's semi-final first leg, erstwhile nan elephantine Italian's agelong arms ensured Paris St-Germain escaped Emirates Stadium pinch a 1-0 win?

Or could we spot nan return of nan error-prone flapper who was near clutching astatine bladed aerial arsenic nan Gunners scored from 2 crosses successful a group-stage triumph successful October, wherever nan 26-year-old put successful nan benignant of unconvincing show that has put his full early astatine nan nine successful doubt?

Arsenal person to people astatine Parc des Princes aliases they are out, truthful it astir apt doesn't thief them that Donnarumma's shape has improved astatine nan aforesaid complaint nan remainder of nan PSG squad has during their thrilling Champions League campaign.

His expected weaknesses person lingered longer successful PSG's home season, however, pinch different correction coming successful their nonaccomplishment astatine Nice past week which ended their hopes of an unbeaten Ligue 1 run pinch only 4 games to go.

Still, if you support England, aliases moreover different English teams, you whitethorn beryllium wondering why anyone doubts Donnarumma - aft all, he has already been nan scourge of Liverpool and Aston Villa successful Europe this season, and showed nan world his prowess astatine stopping penalties erstwhile he helped Italy flooded nan Three Lions successful nan shoot-out that settled nan last of Euro 2020.

He has performed plentifulness of heroics down nan years, but PSG fans don't conscionable retrieve Donnarumma for his large saves because, since he arrived connected a free transportation from AC Milan successful 2021, location person been plentifulness of bad errors too.

In immoderate case, overmuch much is expected of a modern-day goalkeeper than conscionable keeping nan shot retired of nan net, and his distribution pinch his feet is seen arsenic different weakness.

So, does that driblet him down nan pecking bid erstwhile we see who is nan champion keeper connected nan planet, aliases is he conscionable much impervious that nan cleanable all-round subordinate successful his position does not exist?

BBC Sport said to erstwhile England goalkeeper Paul Robinson astir what makes Donnarumma special, and asked French shot journalist Julien Laurens why PSG are considering replacing him this summer.

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

That intelligibly helps erstwhile he is facing a punishment - conscionable inquire Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka, Darwin Nunez aliases Curtis Jones - but it is wherever he puts his tremendous framework erstwhile he is dealing pinch shots aliases onrushing strikers successful unfastened play that impresses Robinson much than thing else.

"He's massive, but his positional consciousness successful his container is excellent," Robinson told BBC Sport. "That's down to nan extent cognition he has erstwhile he is reference a done shot and his knowing of wherever his statement is.

"A batch of goalkeepers get sucked into rushing disconnected their statement to effort to adjacent down nan perspective and to adjacent down nan shot, and they deliberation they are successful a amended position further distant from nan goal. It is thing I did myself sometimes, and you find nan changeable is past you earlier you are ready.

"What Donnarumma does instead, very cleverly, is enactment person to his line, possibly 2 aliases 3 yards away. Because of his size he knows he tin screen astir of his extremity from location anyway.

While his shape has fluctuated, Donnarumma's statement business is nan main logic why his early is uncertain.

He has 1 twelvemonth near connected nan five-year woody he signed erstwhile he joined PSG, and has reportedly been successful talks astir an extension.

According to his agent, Enzo Raiola, Donnarumma wants to enactment - but he has been besides been linked to a summertime return to Serie A, and Milan, pinch Inter, while it appears PSG whitethorn person alternatives successful mind too.

"The nine are taking their clip to determine what to do," explained French shot journalist Laurens.

"They for illustration Lucas Chevalier astatine Lille a batch and Luis Campos (PSG's shot advisor successful complaint of recruitment) knows Chevalier good from erstwhile he was there."

Chevalier, 23, is known for his passing proficiency arsenic good arsenic his redeeming expertise and is seen arsenic nan early of French goalkeeping. He collapsed into nan elder squad for nan first clip astatine nan extremity of 2024, though he is yet to make his elder debut for Les Bleus.

"PSG person not made their minds up," added Laurens. "Can they really get an upgrade connected Donnarumma and, if so, is Chevalier that player?

"Any money they get for Donnarumma – possibly £25-30m - would beryllium axenic profit, but past it would astir apt costs astir £50m to get Chevalier, truthful what do they do?

"The problem they person pinch Donnarumma is not connected his line, wherever he is awesome - everyone astatine nan nine recognises that. It is conscionable I deliberation (PSG boss) Luis Enrique would alternatively person a bully goalkeeper who is amended pinch nan shot astatine his feet.

"Still, it is simply a difficult decision. Of people it is perfect if you tin get everything you request successful a goalkeeper, but I americium not judge Chevalier has everything yet."

It is Donnarumma's mistakes that person led immoderate PSG fans to suffer patience pinch him, and seen him targeted by nan French media, pinch 1 capacity successful peculiar proving difficult to forget.

"He sewage immoderate disapproval precocious for Harvey Elliott's extremity against Liverpool, which was bad, past he made a correction erstwhile they mislaid to Nice too, erstwhile their first extremity went nether his arm," Laurens said.

"For a agelong time, though, he has been seen arsenic conscionable not being bully capable astatine crosses aliases set-pieces.

"He has tried to activity connected that, conscionable for illustration he has tried to amended pinch nan shot astatine his feet, but I don't spot overmuch of an betterment pinch immoderate of his weaknesses.

"I deliberation besides he still carries pinch him his worst moment, nan Champions League last-16 necktie against Real Madrid successful 2022.

"PSG were 1-0 up astatine nan Bernabeu pinch 30 minutes to spell aft winning nan first limb 1-0 too, but past Karim Benzema benignant of barged into Donnarumma, sewage nan shot disconnected him and scored - and past Benzema scored 2 much goals quickly and PSG were out.

"A batch of fans retrieve that moment, and they consciousness that location is different correction coming somewhere, but each clip we spot him doing well, that surely gets him much points to enactment and person his statement extended than nan different measurement around."

Donnarumma whitethorn person his detractors but nan stats are connected his broadside - caller information ranks him higher than immoderate different goalkeeper successful nan world.

The CIES Football Observatory Index takes into relationship nan level of games played positive results, and besides measures nan value of chances faced astatine home level to look astatine nan really nan number of expected goals from those chances comparison to really galore were conceded.

It places Donnarumma supra Yann Sommer of Inter Milan and Real Madrid's Thibault Courtois at nan apical of a list which has a mates of notable omissions - Liverpool's Alisson and Manchester City's Ederson some neglect to make nan apical 20.

Robinson utilized a different criteria, including his eyes, to travel up pinch an replacement apical 3 wherever Alisson does appear, on pinch Donnarumma.

"For me, Alisson is nan champion successful nan world, because he hasn't forgotten nan fundamentals of goalkeeping, which are to support nan shot retired of nan net," Robinson explained.

"Commanding your box, communicating pinch your backmost four, stopping shots and dealing pinch 1 connected ones are each portion of that, but he tin accommodate to nan modern measurement of playing retired from nan backmost too, without taking it to nan adjacent level for illustration Ederson does.

"Ederson is nan champion pinch his feet but for nan all-round package location is Alisson, Jan Oblak astatine Atletico Madrid and Donnarumma, and you tin put those 3 successful nan aforesaid bracket.

"To beryllium nan very champion you request nan correct mindset too, and Donnarumma has that. He has played truthful galore games since his debut for AC Milan aged 16 that he is overmuch much knowledgeable than astir keepers his age.

"That maturity intends he is comfortable connected nan biggest stage, and tin make a quality nan measurement he has done truthful galore times already.

"There is this uncertainty astir wherever he will beryllium adjacent twelvemonth but I stake PSG are gladsome they person sewage him astatine nan infinitesimal - if they spell connected to triumph nan Champions League this season, he will play a immense portion successful that."