If he walks on water in Ligue 1, Gianluigi Donnarumma is much less efficient in the Champions League this season.
Is there cause for concern regarding Gianluigi Donnarumma before the European clash against BvB? Seen from France, and more specifically from Ligue 1, the answer is clear: no. Because in the championship, the Italian goalkeeper of Paris Saint-Germain is far above the rest this season. Author of repeated arrests, “Gigio” has more than once been decisive in saving Parisian furniture. However, his statistics are very different on the Champions League side. And for some observers, they are not necessarily reassuring, a few days before the semi-final that PSG will play against Borussia Dortmund.
The observation was made this Saturday by A.S.. The Spanish media took a close look at the stats of the transalpine goalkeeper. He first noted the excellence of the player in Ligue 1, who comes very far in the lead in the number of goals avoided (15.46), light years ahead of his first pursuer, Brice Samba (8.03). Still decisive on Wednesday against Lorient, including an incredible save on a point-blank header from Tiémoué Bayayoko, Gianluigi Donnarumma has no equal this season on the French scene. But there is another side of the doorman. A little less shiny this one.
Very different in C1
Because once we focus solely on his performances this season in the Champions League, the picture is no longer the same. Necessarily dependent on the work of his teammates, the Italian nevertheless remains much more feverish in C1. The figures also say everything about this difference compared to the championship. Only 2.67 goals avoided. He also went from four saves on average per match in L1 to 3.3 in the European Cup. And if we go back to the last three seasons that he played with Paris in the Champions League, he went from conceding a goal every 75 minutes in the first year, to one every 72 minutes in the second, to reach one every 69 minutes this season. An obvious regression.
And yet. The fact remains that Gianluigi Donnarumma is a decisive and essential link in PSG. If he managed to convince everyone in Ligue 1, he must raise his level of performance in the Champions League. His upcoming performances against Borussia Dortmund, and perhaps then in the final against Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, will undoubtedly be crucial in the potential success of PSG.
