Hierarchy change or simple turnover? As he has developed a habit of taking everyone, players and observers alike, on the wrong foot, it is clear that Luis Enrique This Saturday, November 2, we did it again Arrival of Lens at the Parc des Princes. In his almost compulsive mania for disrupting the starting line-up every time, the Parisian coach this time imported the game of musical chairs into a sector that had been out of practice until then: the cage!
Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has been number one since the start of the season, found himself on the bench on this 10th day despite not having any physical problems. League 1 Enrique chose to entrust the “protection” to the Russian Matvey Safonov. This is certainly not the first time that the Transalpine will not start at the Paris target this season. But he saw his “assistant” three times against Girona (1-1), Reims (1-1) in the Champions League and Rennes (3-1) in L1, then the muscle was the victim of an injury. , there was an excuse that he was unfit for service.
This time, he had all the possibilities a priori since he appeared on the match sheet. So what prompted Luis Enrique to invite Matvey Safonov to return to action with Lens this Saturday? “I knew we were going to have a lot of trouble because of the pressure from Lens,” the Spanish coach told a press conference. Very high pressure. Very strong duels where only the free player is the goalkeeper. I am completely obsessed with the idea that all players can play. Safonov, Tenas and Donnarumma should be ready at any moment. »
“If I want it to be this way for the goalkeepers, I want it to be this way for everybody,” he said. This is my obsession and I work on it every day. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t. I like to see the players ready. Today, Safonov created a certain advantage for us. He was very good, I think. It was not easy for him either, but I am very satisfied with his performance. »
“Safonov did not make a mistake”
It is difficult to read any hint of the future from the words of the Spaniards. Transalpine goalkeeper when Donnarumma returns from injury at Arsenal Again guilty of two goals conceded had been cleared by his trainer. This Saturday, Matvey Safonov scored his first clean sheet in his third Ligue 1 start. The capital club is only third in the championship this season. Despite the twelve balls lost – like a field player like Ousmane Dembélé – Luis Enrique was convinced by his performance.
“Numbers don’t matter,” assured the Spanish coach. An advantage occurs when the opponent exerts pressure in the opponent’s half. The opponent must attack the goalkeeper. Every time the Lens player goes to our goalkeeper, he leaves a free player on the field. » And Enrique continued: “Many times we found solutions and each time it turned into a scoring opportunity. Safonov did nothing wrong. It doesn’t matter whether the striker receives the ball or not. He is very perfect and we had a very good match in this very difficult game situation.
With four days to go before they host Atletico de Madrid in the Champions League, of course, no one knows if the goalkeeping hierarchy has been reversed, according to the coach. But if he needs to be seriously challenged or warned about an upcoming change, Donnarumma now knows he can switch Luis Enrique depending on the opponent and his characteristics. And that’s it, except for one detail!