João Pedro out for ‘a few weeks’, reveals Alonso; Donnarumma gets Maresca’s backing

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Maresca: ‘He’s a strong character’Enzo Maresca has given his backing to Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper’s costly errors in Manchester City’s recent defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.Donnarumma was at fault for Nicolas Jackson’s game-winning strike at Villa Park on Saturday, the forward’s long-range shot squeezing under the Italian’s body and leading to City’s first league defeat of the season. Against PSG in the Champions League this month, Donnarumma was at fault for Désiré Doué’s and Maghnes Akliouche’s goals as City lost 4-2 against the holders.“As a football player or manager, when you don’t get results or make some mistakes, it’s normal.

He’s a strong character. He knows that when he makes a mistake, he doesn’t need us to tell him – sometimes it’s so clear so they recognise this.”Marc Guéhi has been in uneven form, too.

He also conceded a late penalty in the previous weekend’s 3-2 win against Ipswich, and made an early mistake that led directly to Lamine Yamal scoring for Spain against England in the Nations League last month.“I am completely happy with Marc,” Maresca said. It was a performance that united the team and the crowd, said Iraola, who was tasked with rebuilding that bond when he replaced Arne Slot in the summer.Liverpool host Chelsea in the Carabao Cup last 16 on Wednesday and Iraola insists their recent improvement is only the start.“I said it since the first day: you have to earn the right to belong and you only get it with good performances, with wins, and this will take time,” he said.