Hero of the qualification against RC Lens this Sunday evening in the Coupe de France (1-1, 3-4 on the tabs), should Matvey Safonov definitely go number 1, to the detriment of Gianluigi Donnarumma? This is the debate of our journalists, William Tertrin and Laurent Hess.
And why not?
“Safonov is clearly a very credible understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma. He only played 8 matches, but very often delivered very convincing performances. I, who am RC Lens, had already been good during the Ligue 1 match on November 2 (1-0), even if he didn't have much to do. He had more work on Sunday in the Coupe de France, and his performance in the penalty shootout allowed PSG to qualify, at the last minute.
Decisive ahead of Nzola, then Diouf, he can be widely thanked by his club and his coach, who owes him a debt of gratitude. Donnarumma has his qualities, that's undeniable, but I think the arrival of Safonov will really reshuffle the cards. This is already somewhat the case, given that the Italian has sat on the bench several times. However, the hierarchy is not yet clearly established…”.
William TERTRIN
No, but it needs to be seen again
“I found the criticism against Safonov following PSG's defeat at Bayern quite harsh, even downright inappropriate for that of a journalist who moved from L'Equipe TV to Canal+ who had dared to compare him to Darry Cowl. In Germany, the Russian certainly made a mistake which cost a goal, but he also made numerous saves. And in Lens, he has just shown his qualities, particularly during the penalty shootout. Should he therefore be inducted number 1? I don't think so.
Donnarumma is not in the best period of his career but from there to him being sidelined, no. In my opinion, the Italian still offers more guarantees than the Russian today, and it is too early to change the hierarchy. But Safonov asks to be returned, and if he confirms, and if Donnarumma does not raise his level, then it might be time to rethink things. »
Laurent HESS
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