It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for Paris Saint-Germain following their UEFA Champions League triumph in the previous campaign. There are several issues Luis Enrique is working to fix, such as the defense, the goalkeeper position, and the attack, which is wasting too many goal-scoring opportunities. Speaking of which, another issue has come up recently: missed penalty kicks.
This season, PSG has been awarded 10 penalty kicks across all competitions, scoring five and missing five. Those who follow the club and routinely look for PSG stats, results, fixtures, and transfers will know this is a frustrating occurrence.
The most recent missed penalty occurred on February 28, against Le Havre. Désiré Doué stepped up to take the shot, but it was saved by Mory Diaw. We’ve seen Vitinha and Ousmane Dembélé miss penalties this season. Two world-class players, one of whom is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, are struggling to convert a simple penalty at the moment.
The natural question is, ‘Who should take penalties for PSG?’ There are three options that I think Luis Enrique should explore:
Gonçalo Ramos is a prolific goalscorer and has a knack for stepping up late when PSG needs him most. That ability to stay calm under pressure, and the fact that he is a natural striker, lead me to believe he would be an excellent penalty taker. The problem is Luis Enrique doesn’t play him often enough to really have that opportunity.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is another solid option. With Dembélé and Doué typically alongside him in the attack, he hasn’t really had an opportunity to take a penalty, but we’re getting to the point where we should see what he’s got when faced one-on-one with a goalkeeper.
Finally, my preferred choice to take penalties at PSG would be Nuno Mendes. Now, it’s not often that a left-back is the go-to in a penalty situation, but Mendes is not your typical left-back. He is just as much of an attacker as he is a defender. Already this season, he has two goals in the Champions League and three in Ligue 1. Unless he has stated he isn’t comfortable taking penalties, Luis Enrique should strongly consider letting the Portugal international take the next one.
With the Round of 16 of the Champions League set to kick off on March 11 against Chelsea FC, PSG must solve this issue quickly. A missed penalty could be the difference between crashing out and advancing to the next round.
