Lucas Chevalier, the 23-year-old French national team goalkeeper who joined Paris Saint-Germain this summer from Lille, spoke in an interview with beIN SPORTS. He discussed his adaptation to life in Paris, sporting director Luis Campos, coach Luis Enrique, and his goals with the club.
Chevalier: “Every single detail is designed to make us feel comfortable and to help us perform at our best on the pitch.”
What were your feelings when you first entered this locker room?
It’s a source of pride. But as a player, you’re focused on the match, and you put that aside.
How do you feel in this new environment?
It’s very different for me. I spent my entire youth career at Lille, with a brief stint at Valenciennes in Ligue 2. I was comfortable there, with my family and my routines. So, coming to a club like Paris was the natural next step for me.
At PSG, everything is on a larger scale. Every detail is designed to make us feel comfortable and to help us perform at our best on the pitch. We focus on the little things. You might think they’re insignificant. But over the course of a season, when you want to win trophies, they make a big difference.
Chevalier: “I’m not going to start making excuses or talking about pressure.”
Does the pressure affect you?
No, it doesn’t (smiles). It’s there. Then there’s everything around it. But I think my family and friends were more affected by it, because they’re not involved. They watch, they can’t control anything. I’m in a position where I play, I have to perform well, that’s why I was signed.
I’m not going to start making excuses or talking about pressure. I was signed for this very reason. I try to play as if I were with my friends, even if sometimes it’s not easy because we’re still human (smile). But I have this philosophy of being as natural as possible.
Chevalier: “He made my integration easier.”
How important was Luis Campos for your arrival at PSG?
It’s always easier to know people at the club you’re going to sign for. He knows my agents and my family. He already had affection and interest in me when I was young at Lille, even though there were more important players. It’s especially important when you arrive at a club like this to have some support. He made my integration easier. It seems very easy, natural. He was very important. And I’m happy that things turned out this way.
Luis Enrique, what does he expect from you?
Luis Enrique wants to use me in the game, as a true 11th player, in terms of managing the spaces between my teammates and myself, in terms of controlling the depth. I try to be involved, to be available, I try to ensure continuity in the build-up play. It’s a role I’ll have throughout the season and which will be more or less difficult depending on our opponents.
Chevalier: “There are certainly much higher expectations.”
A different level in the Champions League?
At Lille, we were outsiders, the approach is different. In every match, we had nothing to lose. If we didn’t win, people were less demanding. In Paris, we are French and European champions, there are certainly much higher expectations. It’s part of the evolution, I’m going to have to deliver a return on their investment for PSG (laughs).
It’s normal, that’s football, and I came here for that. I won a title in my first match. I want to continue, to perform. The media will be more or less complimentary depending on the performances. You have to accept that. I’m very proud to represent these colors. We’ll see how things go as the season progresses.
A role model in football?
Yes, although I’ve gone through several stages. I grew up watching Hugo Lloris play for Nice and Lyon; he was the rising star in France. I watched him. He was very agile and acrobatic. I liked that style, and I had a bit of that style myself.
But then, Neuer came along, who changed the way the position is played. We see much less of Lloris’ style these days. I’ve seen Sommer, De Gea, Maignan. I’ve trained with him. What’s good is that the goalkeepers who inspire me are all different.
Chevalier: “At this level, we focus on the small details.”
What are your areas for improvement?
Things that people don’t see on camera (smiling). It’s about positioning on crosses to make better saves, and about positioning in general to make a difference in the end. At this level, we focus on the small details. If one day I’m stopping everything, then there won’t be anything left to improve (laughs).
Punching the ball away rather than catching it when dealing with aerial balls?
I prefer to catch the ball, but we have to accept that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to catch the ball these days.
What do you hope to achieve this year?
I hope to make myself proud, make my family and the fans proud, and gradually add more trophies to the cabinet.
