B1AI-generatedSeptember 20, 2026·2 min read·300 words·3 vocab words·Source: Sky Sports

Donnarumma: Manchester City is Ready for a Successful Season

Also in
🇫🇷Français🇪🇸Español🇮🇹Italiano🇳🇴Norsk🇰🇷한국어🇮🇷فارسی
Read at another level
Donnarumma: Manchester City is Ready for a Successful Season
Photo: Palichara Stadium 11 2022 by United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Services Agency (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) (Public domain)
In brief

Gianluigi Donnarumma has dismissed claims that Manchester City is in a transition period this season. After a strong start and a recent derby victory against Manchester United, the goalkeeper is feeling very positive. Even though Phil Foden received a red card during that match, Donnarumma praised his team for their strength while playing with ten men. He also stated that VAR controversies are just a natural part of football today. Overall, he is very confident that the club will have a great season.

Listen — hands-free audio modeSwipe through today's stories at your level. Lock your screen and keep listening.Survival phrases — real-world situationsBrowse graded phrases for travel, work, emergencies and more. Audio in 5 languages.
Vocabulary · Words with a dotted underline are vocabulary words — tap for an instant definition.

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has spoken about the team's impressive start to the new football season. Despite many changes occurring at the club during the summer, the goalkeeper insists that the players are not experiencing a year. Instead, he believes the team is ready for a very successful ahead.

Donnarumma recently sat down for an interview with Sky Sports journalist Sam Blitz. The conversation focused on the team's strong performance, especially following their recent 1-0 victory against Manchester United in the match. Many observers wondered how the team would handle the pressure, but Donnarumma remains very positive about their current form.

During the game against United, the team faced a difficult challenge when Phil Foden received a red card. Donnarumma felt the decision to send his teammate off was "harshly made." However, he was proud of how the remaining players reacted to playing with one man less. He noted that the squad showed real strength and character to secure the win under such difficult circumstances.

The goalkeeper also touched upon the topic of video assistant refereeing, or VAR. While some fans and players often complain about decisions made by the technology, Donnarumma takes a calmer approach. He explained that these controversies are simply a normal part of the modern game. He prefers to focus on the collective effort of the squad rather than individual refereeing moments.

Looking forward, Donnarumma is clearly confident about what the team can achieve this year. His comments suggest a group that is united and determined to succeed despite the challenges they have faced so far. If the team continues to play with this much spirit, they could have a very memorable season ahead of them. Fans will certainly hope that his positive outlook proves to be correct in the coming months.

Speak about it

Take a position. Out loud, if you can.

Four ways to start. Pick one and try saying it before you scroll on.

Tip · Record yourself, use in a notebook, or practice with a language partner.

Comprehension
Question 1 of 1

What is Donnarumma's opinion on the club's current season?

Grammar spotlight

Present Perfect

One point · B1

The present perfect is used to connect a past action to the present. We use it here to describe things that have happened recently.

From this article

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has spoken about the team's impressive start to the new football season.

What to know · B1

Use it today

Try saying this aloud

Neutral register

Scenario: Talking about a project or season status

  1. 01We are not in a transition phase.
  2. 02We have had a strong start to the project.
  3. 03It is just a normal part of the process.

Register tip · informal

🔑Key Phrases

transition yeara year of change

Used to describe a time when a team is rebuilding or changing its structure.

Noun phrase

This is a transition year for our department as we get new software.

harshly madetoo strict or severe

Describes a decision or action that feels unfair or extreme.

Adverb + past participle

The referee's decision was harshly made, according to the fans.

faced a difficult challengeencountered a hard problem

A common way to describe dealing with an obstacle.

Verb + noun phrase

We faced a difficult challenge when the power went out during the meeting.

Accent

Article Audio — Kokoro TTS

Donnarumma: Manchester City is Ready for a Successful Season

💬Discussion Questions

Open-ended questions to talk or write about — alone, with a partner, or in class.

  1. 1

    Do you think players should focus more on team spirit than individual refereeing decisions?

    Opinion

News sourced from: Sky Sports. LectoPress rewrites the facts as original graded-reader text for language learners.

Daily digest · Free

Get stories at your level, every day

B1 · EN · delivered to your inbox · unsubscribe any time

Customize language, level & topics → full preferences

Continue reading