Thomas Tuchel was not mistaken. A few seconds after the short victory in Nantes on Tuesday (2-1), the PSG coach came to kiss Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican goalkeeper had just saved the success of his family thanks to interventions in front of Simon and Emond. A brilliant performance that allows Paris to chain a twentieth game without defeat (18 wins, 2 draws) in all competitions. A balance sheet of which the former doorman of Real Madrid is particularly accountable.
In 24 games played in the Paris jersey, Keylor Navas finished fifteen without conceding a goal. The guard has taken only 14 since arriving in the capital, only one every 154 minutes.
“It's been very long seasons that we have not seen at PSG such a decisive goalkeeper, rejoices Dominique Baratelli, 381 games in the Parisian cage. It is reassuring and gives off a confidence which has repercussions on its defenders. He is extremely strong on his line and has rare experience. "
Decisive from the start
When looking into the retro of a season started less than five months ago, the 33-year-old goalkeeper is not his first game saved. For his first appearance on September 14 against Strasbourg (1-0), he had kept his team afloat on two big parades before Neymar signed his return from an unforgettable acrobatic volley.
Ditto against Bruges (1-0) on November 6 where he made two reflex stops and dodged a penalty. But his reference match is still the trip to his former stronghold of the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium. Navas then disgusted his ex-teammates by making ten stops to preserve the draw (2-2) which secured first place in the group.
In the championship, the triple winner of the Champions League is not to be outdone. Against Lille (2-0) on November 22, he made two decisive interventions as against Nantes (2-0) on December 4 where he proved decisive twice in additional time. A key moment when his mastery is often displayed in the image of his masterful tap under the bar facing the Monegasque Slimani (3-3) on January 12 at the Park.
"It changes the face of a match"
"The most difficult thing in a team where the goalkeeper can stay doing a half-time is to be good on the rare opposing occasions," continues Baratelli. We saw in front of Nantes that Navas was decisive in this kind of situation. It changes the face of a match. "
At countdown, the presence of Keylor Navas is to be noted during the two defeats in the league against Reims (0-2) and Dijon (2-1). Matches where he is at fault on three of the four goals. Errors that have never, however, called into question the confidence of the Parisian staff. A radical change after several seasons where vagueness prevailed in the cage between Alphonse Areola, Gianluigi Buffon and Kevin Trapp.
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“As soon as you put two goalkeepers in the balance, you have to constantly prove that you are better than your competitor and you are in trouble with each goal. It was essential to have a real No. 1, recalls the doorman to the 21 selections with the Blues. The goalkeepers were about the same value in previous seasons and were judged permanently and on the slightest fault. Mentally, it's tiring. Navas has already made mistakes, he will do them again. Without damaging its status. This is also why he so often holds his rank. "
