Postponed is not the same as canceled—due to Matvei Safonov’s injury, the goalkeeper debate in Paris has only flared up about a month later than expected. Lucas Chevalier, who was the clear number one at the start of the season, no longer seems to be the first choice.
When Paris St. Germain announced its lineup for the final game of the Champions League group stage at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening, some fans may have been surprised. It was not regular goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier who was in goal, but his replacement Matvei Safonov. “I have no problem rotating my goalkeepers,” explained coach Luis Enrique after the 1-1 draw.
However, he didn’t do that at the start of the season. New signing Chevalier was between the posts for the first 20 competitive games—even though he was reportedly not without his critics internally, especially in the fall. Ultimately, an injury to the 24-year-old led to a change in goal. Safonov seized his opportunity—remember the four saves he made in the penalty shootout in the Intercontinental Cup against Flamengo. But the Russian paid dearly for his brilliant performance in December: he broke his hand, which settled the goalkeeper debate—at least until Wednesday evening.
Luis Enrique also relegates Donnarumma to the bench in Munich in 2024
This is because Luis Enrique changed his goalkeepers for the first time without the influence of injuries, which can certainly be understood as a statement to Chevalier. Even though he had never publicly declared the northern Frenchman as number one, the race for the position in goal had probably never been so open. “If you look at my decisions, it’s very clear to everyone,” explained the PSG coach.
He had already taken a similar measure in November 2024. In the away game at FC Bayern at the time, the Spaniard benched Gianluigi Donnarumma and instead put his trust in Safonov, who, however, made a mistake in the only goal conceded (0-1). However, the change seemed to have spurred Donnarumma on after previously mixed performances. The Italian national goalkeeper went on to play a major role in the club’s first Champions League triumph, which they will be looking to defend this season. To do so, Paris must first overcome Monaco in the play-offs.
We may get an indication of whether Chevalier will deal with the setback in a similar way to Donnarumma on Sunday in Strasbourg – at least if he is rotated back into goal, which is far from certain. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, I just want my players to be ready at all times,” said Luis Enrique.
