“I make my lineup based on what I see on the pitch, what is best for the team, and what the opponent will do. It is clear that Bayern is a team that resembles us a lot with a very high pressing, so we will need our goalkeeper to help us break out of that pressure.” This was the declaration of Luis Enrique to Canal +, just minutes before the clash between PSG and Bayern Munich in the 5th round of the Champions League, justifying the surprise inclusion of Matvey Safonov in place of Gianluigi Donnarumma. This was a bold choice by the Spanish tactician, especially given the stakes involved. But did it pay off?
Thrown into the deep end, the former Krasnodar player – who had already been started against Girona and had logged 360 minutes in Ligue 1 – quickly reassured, particularly in aerial situations. On a first corner taken by Bayern, the Russian international (13 caps), under pressure, stretched perfectly to clear the danger at the far post (5th minute). Following that, the number 39 of the Red and Blue fended off a close-range shot from Musiala (7th) before interjecting on another chance from Sané (12th). A reassuring start to the match would, however, quickly turn into a nightmare in the blink of an eye. After a failed first clearance and some dubious launches, the 25-year-old goalkeeper completely faltered… Hampered in his attempt to collect yet another corner from Munich, he could only weakly deflect the ball, allowing Kim Min-jae to send the Allianz Arena into euphoria (1-0, 38th).
Despite this dreadful blunder, Safonov quickly got back into the swing of things, producing two crucial saves in added time of the first half (45+2, 45+3). Taking advantage of Bayern’s ineffectiveness upon returning from the locker room, as demonstrated by Musiala (62), Coman (67), or Müller (82), the Russian then captured a blocked attempt from Olise (73) before rescuing his side by deflecting yet another strike from Musiala onto the post (74). In vain, the damage was already done, and despite a desperate attempt on the last Parisian corner of the match, the 1.92m right-footer could not redeem himself. Often pressured by Bayern’s players, Safonov, rated a 5 by FM’s editorial staff, displayed too much frailty in his footwork, a common criticism directed at… Gianluigi Donnarumma.
With 41% of successful passes (13/32) and numerous clearances going directly out for a throw-in, particularly in the first half, the newly signed Parisian ultimately did not convince overall, and his performance will be seen as a lost gamble. Present in the mixed zone, João Neves refused, however, to blame his teammate. “We are a team; it is not Matvey Safonov’s fault; these are everyone’s mistakes, not just one man’s mistake. When a striker scores, it is not just the striker; it is the whole team, and the same goes for errors. These are things that are part of football, but we are a group; we are teammates,” assured the number 87. A similar message was echoed by Luis Enrique, who also hesitated to pinpoint his goalkeeper as the primary culprit of the defeat. “There is always this urge to find a scapegoat. If there is a culprit, it is me. I am responsible. There you go, you have found the culprit. From there, I accept any criticism.” One thing is certain, with this new regrettable error, Paris sits 26th and has almost already said goodbye to a direct qualification for the knockout stage…
