Kevin Trapp's Star Performance in PSG Win over Marseille Will Settle Nerves

Since the September international break, Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Kevin Trapp has been enduring a testing period in the French capital.

After the German’s costly mistake in the 2-2 home draw with Girondins de Bordeaux last month, a few nervy moments followed, and the summer signing has been under intense scrutiny from the press ever since.

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Trapp’s excellent performance in PSG’s 2-1 win over fierce rivals Olympique de Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday will have gone a long way to wiping away his personal nerves caused by that glaring error against Bordeaux. It will have also silenced some critics.

On a night when most of his teammates were disappointing, the 25-year-old was outstanding and fully deserves to be considered the French champions’ man of the match.

The highlight of Trapp’s excellent evening was saving the otherwise impressive Abdelaziz Barrada’s second-half penalty to keep PSG 2-1 ahead. In the dying minutes of the match, the former Eintracht Frankfurt man also made a superb reflex save to deny Remy Cabella’s close-range effort.

Speaking to PSG.fr after the match, Trapp admitted it was a difficult game and revealed his delight at being able to play a key role in the win.

"

It was a really tough game - like we expected. Everyone is happy to win a match like this, the supporters and the players... For the penalty, I didn't feel any pressure. A goalkeeper has nothing to lose in that situation. I decided to go to my right and I got lucky. It was an important stop. I'm here to help the team so I'm happy to have been able to tonight.

"

As well as the penalty save and the stop from Cabella, Trapp also made a number of other saves and looked largely assured when called upon.

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Perhaps the former Germany under-21 international could have done a bit better with Michy Batshuayi’s opening goal, but as much—if not more—blame should be shouldered by David Luiz, who did a poor job of marking the Belgium international.

Trapp’s performance with the ball at his feet and coming to collect high balls was another eye-catching aspect of his showing. His ease in both situations once again demonstrated exactly why coach Laurent Blanc wanted him to come in this summer to dislodge Italy international Salvatore Sirigu as starting goalkeeper.

Indeed, Le President was impressed with his netminder, mentioning Trapp when he spoke with PSG.fr after the final whistle at Parc des Princes.

"

It was a great match, but very difficult. I have to admit that Marseille played very well tonight. We managed to lift our game in the final minutes of the first half and wrest back the advantage with two justified penalties. Marseille could have equalised in the second half with a penalty of their own, but Kevin Trapp showed a lot of talent to make the save. We had chances to score a third goal. It was a very tough and now we will savour this victory.

"

With such a strong performance now under his belt and a real demonstration of his abilities now given to his teammates and his critics, Trapp should be able to play under less pressure once domestic action resumes after the current international break.

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A UEFA Champions League doubleheader against Real Madrid, as well as Ligue 1 clashes with AS Saint-Etienne and Stade Rennais await once that break is over. The player going into those games—especially in Europe—under the same scrutiny he was subject to prior to the Marseille win could have been potentially damaging.

Instead, Trapp can reflect on a largely good start to the season. He has amassed five clean sheets out of a possible nine in Le Championnat, with another two in Europe, a solid start for the man who had not played a single minute of Champions League football before his move to Paris.

Trapp’s biggest tests are yet to come, though, and now he can face them with confidence again after overcoming his Bordeaux nightmare.