shots on goal, Galtier has the recipe before Bayern-PSG

With the end of the away goal counting double, the probability of coming to penalties is higher in the European Cup. This does not mean that Paris Saint-Germain puts their spleen in court broth before facing Bayern this Wednesday (9 p.m.), in Munich, in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Defeated in the first leg (0-1), at the Parc des Princes, his players would therefore have to pot him with one goal more than their Bavarian hosts to find themselves in this scenario. Obviously, with two more goals, they pass. In case of draw or defeat, it’s over. If he thinks “convinced it’s not a lottery“, Christophe Galtier admits that”the players don’t work on the gesture technically because training is one thing, but after 120 minutes of the match, in front of the public, the environment is totally different, there is a psychological aspect“.

And God knows that psychology has never been the strong point of a PSG often haunted by its old demons… And especially in key moments, even more so with regard to the Champions League. For example, Could Marquinhos forget that it was his missed shot on goal that precipitated Brazil’s exitin the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, against the Croatian team.

Read alsoChampions League: with Mbappé, PSG can hope to save his skin in Munich

Historically, this is not an exercise in which PSG shines. In its last seven sessions, the club from the capital has won only two, in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue 2020 against Lyon and in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France 2021, against Montpellier. The last, the Red and Blue lost it. It was in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France last season, against OGC Nice… by Christophe Galtier. So far, however, Paris have played only one penalty shootout on the European scene, an outing in the UEFA Cup against Glasgow Rangers in 2001.

Sommer-Mbappé, how we meet…

Overall, France football is not good at it if we believe the most recent examples, with eliminations for Monaco and Rennes in C3. The France team has also fallen on penalties in the last two major international competitions, the World Cup in Qatar last winter, and the Euro, in 2021. Guess who stopped the last shot on goal for the tricolor, executed by Kylian Mbappé? Yann Sommer. And as if by chance, the Swiss goalkeeper joined the Bavarian ranks last winter in the transfer window, in order to compensate for Manuel Neuer’s package until the end of the season.

Nothing is left to chance.

Christophe Galtier

One thing is certain: as confirmed by our colleagues from The Team , Galtier did not offer a specific workshop to his players on Tuesday, during the last training session before the match, on the lawn of the Allianz Arena. When he swears thatNothing is left to chance“, the 56-year-old technician thinks above all of Gigio Donnarumma. “There is work done by the goalkeeping coach with him“, he said Tuesday. He was even more talkative last Saturday, after the 4-2 victory against FC Nantes. “For the goalkeeper, there is a great analysis made with the goalkeeper coach. On it he has a lot of information“, he revealed. And to add:There is also the psychological aspect that a goalkeeper can have facing the shooter“. And in this area, the former goalkeeper of Milan has his say, he who had been brilliant on penalties during the last Euro with the Italian team, against Spain in the semi-finals and England, finally.

Read alsoPSG: freed from the shadow of Navas, Donnarumma (really) as a great?

The opportunity would be great to appropriate the hero costume for Donnarumma, not always imperial since his arrival in the capital, and especially in recent weeks. Failing to represent a weak point, it is still a question mark. “He is a reliable and very high level goalkeeper, youngcorrects Galtier. We can refer to the goals conceded against Nantes… Once it has happened to you, it must not happen again. This is also experience. He knew how to be decisive in important moments.» With the departure of Keylor Navas this winter, the Italian giant (1.96m) no longer has a choice.

The Neymar case law

In addition to the information distilled to his goalkeeper, Christophe Galtier intends to operate another lever in the event of a penalty shootout. After seeing Brazil go out without Neymar, fifth shooter, having had the opportunity to appear in front of the Croatian goalkeeper, the debate raged in Qatar: should the best shooter start or finish? “I have a pretty clear strategy for the order of shooters. Often the best shooter is last or fourth. Except that the last or even the fourth sometimes doesn’t have time to shoot… The best shooters must therefore make the decision to shoot as quickly as possible“, hammers the Parisian coach. And to add:There are orders to follow and those with the most quality, guts, must be really at the heart of the series“. Between Kylian Mbappé and Leo Messi, Christophe Galtier would be spoiled for choice to open the debate. However, he would prefer to avoid this, with a qualification acquired before…