Gianluigi Donnarumma still feels the after‑glow of Manchester City’s recent derby triumph as he sits in the club's training complex, reflecting on what the victory means for the squad. While the controversial last‑minute winner from Erling Haaland draws most of the headlines, Donnarumma is more focused on the collective resilience his teammates displayed, especially after the early dismissal of Phil Foden, which he described as "harshly" enforced.
"I loved my team‑mates' performance, it was sublime," Donnarumma told Sky Sports. "The capacity to stay in the game and to react to difficult moments – no one can take that away from us. We will give everything for this shirt, for this club that gives us so much and offers us great support.
It has a great history, and we need to give a lot back to it." City entered the match with a perfect record this season, a rarity in a campaign that has already seen the loss of several pillars from Pep Guardiola's era, including Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rodri. Despite those departures, the team has not been flawless; Donnarumma himself admits there is still much to learn even after a seemingly flawless start to the Enzo Maresca era.
The club, however, has always framed this period as a "transition" season, a term the goalkeeper says he does not favour. "I don't really like the word 'transition,'" he added. "The club's objective is to win. This team's objective is to win.
We'll certainly give everything we can to achieve that." He emphasized that the mentality required to succeed is a winning one, regardless of whether the season ends with trophies or not. "We could reach the end of the season having won something, or having won nothing.
But what's important is having a winning mentality, going out there and trying to win everything we possibly can," he explained. Donnarumma is now part of a newly‑formed leadership group that replaces the departed veterans.
Alongside Ruben Dias, Erling Haaland and Marc Guehi, he forms a quartet of experienced winners who have collected silverware both at City and elsewhere. Their role is to set standards for the newcomers—players such as Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye—who are expected to make an immediate impact in what the club insists is not a rebuilding year but a campaign aimed at immediate success.
"We've changed a few players. A few new ones have arrived," Donnarumma said. "They're all top players who are used to playing on the biggest stages, dealing with pressure and performing in the Premier League.
It's not easy at the beginning when you move to a new club, a new organisation, a new city. But they're adapting well, and we're making them feel comfortable. The players who were already here are helping them a lot. I think we're going to have a great season." The goalkeeper outlined the club's ambitions clearly: to compete on all fronts— the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup— and to fight for every trophy available.
This declaration serves as a warning to rivals that City still consider themselves title contenders despite the off‑season turnover. One of the primary obstacles to City’s aspirations, according to Donnarumma, is Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side also opened the campaign with five straight wins and recently enjoyed a psychological boost after edging City out of the Premier League title race last May in a dramatic finale.
The recent Guardiola documentary captured the disappointment of City players after a slip‑up at Bournemouth handed the Gunners the league crown, a moment that still resonates with Donnarumma, who had been part of five consecutive title‑winning squads before that setback. "It's difficult, but that's football, that's life. You're not on your own," he reflected on that disappointment. "There are other strong teams, especially in the Premier League.
It's not that if you don't win there isn't disappointment – of course there is – but it can happen because there are other teams as well, just like in the Champions League. It's important to go into every game trying to win it. Certainly, our objective will be to win, but there are other teams too.
You have to compete, you have to work, and you have to do everything possible because the history of this club demands it." When asked whether City and Arsenal will once again dominate the top of the table in May, the Italian keeper was cautious. "I don't know. We're only four games into the season," he said, underscoring the need for patience and focus. He concluded with a pragmatic outlook: "Our focus right now has to be on working and trying to win every game.
That has to be our objective. Whether we achieve it in the end or not, only time will tell." Fans can look forward to watching City in the Carabao Cup third round against Norwich City on Thursday night at 8 p.m., followed by a Premier League clash with Sunderland on Super Sunday, kicking off at 2 p.m. The upcoming fixtures will provide further opportunities for the new leadership group to imprint their winning ethos on the squad and for the new signings to prove their worth on the biggest stages.