Lucas Chevalier, LOSC’s 23-year-old goalkeeper and young French hopeful, was awarded the title of Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper of the season at the UNFP Trophées evening. On the sidelines of the event, he discussed the criticism levelled at Gianluigi Donnarumma, his 26-year-old counterpart at Paris Saint-Germain.
“It’s true that I didn’t have any lows. I didn’t have periods where I made one mistake after another. I don’t know if that’s a characteristic of any particular goalkeeper. Some goalkeepers are more likely to make mistakes than others.
I don’t know if these are targeted profiles, but do we need to prepare? No, because you shouldn’t be prepared to make mistakes, but you should be aware that they can happen. Donnarumma plays for a club like Paris Saint-Germain, which has much more impact.
Chevalier “if I miss my intervention in the same way in Lille and Donnarumma in Paris, it has a little more impact.”
At a club where the media don’t do you any favors, maybe you do a bit more at Lille. Maybe if I do the same, if I miss my intervention in the same way in Lille and Donnarumma in Paris, it has a little more impact.
I think that’s also a factor, but I’ve always been able to stay on course. I’ve been playing professionally for four years now, so let’s just say I’m on my feet. I hope it doesn’t happen too often, because for a top-level goalkeeper, it shouldn’t happen too often”, comments relayed by Foot Mercato.
It’s true that Gianluigi Donnarumma went through some complicated periods at Paris Saint-Germain, particularly after his arrival, when Navas was still in the team and he was coming off an exceptional season with PSG.
We mustn’t forget the pressure at the time, and the need to adapt to a particular situation. Also, PSG had a completely different look about them, with strikers who weren’t helping enough and a less solid team as a result. This left the goalkeeper more exposed, even though he can’t save everything.
Today, with Luis Enrique’s version of PSG, everyone attacks and everyone defends. This inevitably helps the keeper. But there are still situations to save, of course. And very often, Donnarumma has performed well.
Except that the media and some fans are often unfair to Donnarumma, keeping in mind a handful of mistakes, some of which aren’t really mistakes at all (like the goal conceded against Liverpool) and often forgetting the XXL performances he can put in. However, in recent months, and particularly during this European campaign, jackets are beginning to turn.
In any case, Chevalier is right to point out the gap in media impact. Some of the goals he concedes are less well publicized. Like other goalkeepers in Europe, everyone remembers the saves without knowing the misses. Today, it’s hard to deny that the Italian is one of the elite in his position.
