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Jack14Bojangles

Jack14Bojangles

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Article fom Kicker:
Why PSG Goalkeeper Safonov Deliberately Kicked His Goal Kicks Out of Play

 

His goal kicks sailed out of bounds with remarkable regularity. However, behind PSG goalkeeper Matvei Safonov’s absurdly poor passing accuracy on Wednesday evening lay not a lack of skill, but rather tactical calculation—a strategy that paid off.

 

What business does a goalkeeper like this actually have in a Champions League semi-final? Anyone watching Matvei Safonov on Wednesday evening could hardly be blamed for asking themselves that very question—at least initially. One goal kick after another sailed out over the touchline, met with mocking applause from the stands of the Allianz Arena. Yet, the more frequently this spectacle unfolded, the clearer it became that there was only one possible conclusion: This was not simply the work of a technically limited goalkeeper; this was a player executing his coach's game plan.

 

In total, Safonov took 13 goal kicks during the return leg in Munich; only two reached a teammate. Seven flew directly out of play, while with several others, it looked as though Safonov had aimed them there. By the end of the evening—taking all his passes into account—the Russian goalkeeper’s pass completion rate stood at 21.2 percent. This marks the lowest figure recorded by a player who played the full 90 minutes in a Champions League match in nearly four and a half years. In December 2021, Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli had managed a rate of just 19.5 percent during his side's 3–2 victory in Bergamo.

 

Incidentally, Safonov’s counterpart, Manuel Neuer, boasted a pass completion rate of over 70 percent on Wednesday evening; the Russian himself averages 55 percent in the Champions League this season. At first glance, this appears surprisingly poor for the goalkeeper of a coach who, barely a year ago, ousted the outstanding shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma—precisely because he deemed him too weak with the ball at his feet.

 

However, anyone who takes a closer look at Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain will quickly realize that there is tactical calculation behind those goal kicks sent out of play. The detail-obsessed Spaniard is constantly working in Paris to limit the influence of chance in his team's game—and, in doing so, specifically to make those situations predictable that *can* be planned. Together with his staff, he implements a strategy for throw-ins tailored to his own squad, as well as one for their own kick-offs. And this is precisely where the goal-kick strategy now comes into play.

 

Ultimately, this new tactical device is merely an evolution of the kickoff strategy that PSG has been employing in key Champions League matches since last season: when taking a kickoff, the ball is played backward to Vitinha, and the Portuguese player hammers it out of play—the closer to the opposing corner flag, the better. On Wednesday evening in Munich, too, PSG adopted this approach at the start of the second half. The rationale behind it: PSG can immediately occupy the opposition's half, initiate a press, and close down space, thereby placing the opponent under immediate pressure.

 

PSG seeks to turn the inherent disadvantage a team faces during its own throw-ins—specifically in terms of range and tempo—into an advantage; in doing so, they deliberately concede possession. The same logic underpinned Safonov’s goal kicks. Because this approach allows the team to subsequently play to its strengths, this variation is simply more promising—particularly given that PSG operates without a tall, aerial-threat striker who could reliably win goal kicks in duels against defenders like Jonathan Tah or Dayot Upamecano.

 

However, a look at the direction of Safonov’s goal kicks suggests yet another conclusion: Twelve of the 13 kicks on Wednesday evening flew to the left—from the goalkeeper’s perspective—including every single one that went out of play. Wait a minute—isn’t PSG’s left defensive flank actually FC Bayern’s right attacking flank? And isn’t that where Michael Olise plays—a player you’d be better off keeping the ball away from? Especially when he is up against a player like Nuno Mendes, who was booked early on and is now walking a tightrope on the verge of a sending-off? In principle, that is all correct—and yet, at the same time, not quite.

 

For a throw-in automatically results in that flank becoming overloaded with players. In other words: less space. Space that Olise needs to bring his abilities to bear most effectively. Or to put it another way: Had Safonov kicked the ball out of play to his right, PSG would have been just one quick cross-field switch by Bayern away from seeing Olise go one-on-one against Nuno Mendes with a running start. However—particularly in the second half—this happened almost never at all; and, as implausible as it may sound, this was also linked to Safonov’s much-maligned goal kicks. A minor detail, perhaps—yes. But one that, at this level, can make all the difference.

 

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Paullow

Paullow

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I was just going to say before that goal that I hate watching these type of matches where the team you don't want to win are pretty dominant and just feels a matter of time.

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