With the arrival of 22-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at Paris Saint-Germain this summer, much is present in the goalkeeping hierarchy, as 34-year-old Keylor Navas was normally the starter at this position. On the airwaves of RMC, Jérôme Rothen, a former PSG midfielder (2004-2010) now a consultant, spoke on this issue and believes that playing time will be divided equally between the two goalkeepers.
Rothen “Donnarumma has shown that he is making great progress”
“The problem is not Mauricio Pochettino and his management. It has a very talented group of players and it starts with the goalkeepers. Kelyor Navas was huge with PSG last season. He helped the club reach the semi-finals last season, the final the year before. Donnarumma has shown that he is making a lot of progress. The proof is that he was champion of the Euro for being decisive. At PSG, when he played, he was impeccable. We can’t blame him for missing some games. On the contrary, perhaps from Keylor Navas, who sometimes doubted about the start of the championship. This must be taken into account for Mauricio Pochettino ”.
Rothen “Pochettino is forced to halve the playing time of his goalkeepers.”
“And then, he wasn’t the one who created this workforce. Above him there is a sports director who must do things according to the team and the coach. I’m not sure that Pochettino’s priority at the beginning of the year was to take a second goalkeeper for the competition, Keylor Navas. I am even convinced of it. There is no competition, Pochettino is forced to cut the playing time of his goalkeepers in half. Donnarumma and Navas, in my opinion, will have the same number of games at the end of the season. “
It is a puzzle that awaits Pochettino. If Navas highly deserves to play in view of the season he achieved last year, Donnarumma stands out as the future goalkeeper of PSG, he is only 22 years old, he is undoubtedly one of the best of his generation and he already has his place in the highest level. If he was drafted, it is obviously to be ranked number one, be it this year or next. Right now, it can be clearly said that the time of the Costa Rican is running out.
But it will also be necessary to see the level of the Italian goalkeeper in the cages of the Parisian defense. The performance of each one as the season progresses will logically be decisive in Pochettino’s elections. But it will also be necessary to manage the egos of each one, since for his part, Navas could live badly to see his playing time reduced. Just as Donnarumma will want to follow up after a game like the one against Manchester City on Tuesday, it is generally a difficult record for the Argentine tactician, who will also have to demonstrate his managerial skills.
