Chevalier’s impact at PSG analysed by a goalkeeping expert

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·11 ottobre 2025

Chevalier’s impact at PSG analysed by a goalkeeping expert

Thierry Barnerat, Thibaut Courtois’ video analyst at Real Madrid, praised the debut of Lucas Chevalier (23 years old) at Paris Saint-Germain on l’After Foot on RMC Sport. The Swiss expert described the new Parisian goalkeeper as an “additional outfield player,” already essential in PSG’s build-up and playmaking, despite still having room for improvement in decision-making.

Barnerat: “I think he’s good”

“I think he’s good. Chevalier touches the ball a lot, he’s really the eleventh man. He creates numerical superiority every time, in all the matches, including during his debut against Tottenham when he had only had a few days of training with the team. We didn’t see that before (with Donnarumma). It’s really an incredible asset.”

Barnerat: “At Lille he had more action, so it was easier to stay in the game”

It’s the coach’s intention. It’s clear that what’s different for Chevalier is that at Lille he had more action, so it was easier to stay in the game. Now, he has very few saves to make but he’s hugely involved in the team’s offensive play (…) Against Tottenham, he made a mistake but then he was decisive (during the penalty shootout).

Barnerat: “We need to look at when he can be decisive”

When people say he didn’t do his job against Barcelona, that’s a very poor assessment. We need to look at when he can be decisive. That’s when we should expect him, but it’s still too early to see if he has a performance rate in decision-making. We’ll be able to assess that at the end of November. There have been few situations so far.”

It takes time to fully measure the impact of Lucas Chevalier (23 years old) at Paris Saint-Germain. Thierry Barnerat reminded us: judging a goalkeeper on his first few weeks at such a structured club would be a mistake in analysis. The Parisian coach wanted him absolutely, not for his spectacular saves, but for his ability to transform the team’s play. Chevalier is not just a last line of defense; he is a technical and tactical piece of the system, an initiator of plays.

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This requires automatisms, a fine understanding of the defenders’ positioning, and total confidence in the collective project. At Lille, he lived in reaction; in Paris, he must learn to manage calm, read the tempo, and handle the rarity of opposing chances. His progress will therefore not be read in save statistics, but in the fluidity and control of PSG’s build-up play. Time and patience will be his best allies.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.