PSG's penalty problems mount as Luis Enrique sticks with rotation policy

The issue is striking because PSG began the campaign showing remarkable composure in shootouts. The French champions won three trophy deciders on penalties earlier in the season - beating Tottenham after a 2–2 draw in the UEFA Super Cup, Flamengo after a 1-1 stalemate in the Intercontinental Cup clash, and Marseille following a 2-2 draw in the French Super Cup. On those occasions the Parisians looked calm, prepared and mentally strong from twelve yards.

But recent matches have told a different story.

In Ligue 1 matchday 24 against Le Havre, PSG secured a narrow 1-0 victory, yet Desire Doue missed a late penalty that could have sealed the result. His effort was saved by goalkeeper Mory Diaw. The miss came just ten days after Vitinha failed to convert a spot-kick in the first leg of PSG's Champions League play-off against Monaco.

The numbers underline the problem. PSG have converted only 50 percent of their penalties across all competitions this season - a sharp drop compared with previous campaigns. Since the 2016-17 season, the club had maintained an average success rate of around 83 percent. Even during the difficult 2022-23 season they still converted 7 of 9 penalties.

Goalkeepers are also beginning to anticipate PSG's takers. Diaw admitted he had studied Doue before their recent meeting.

"I support Paris Saint-Germain, and I saw how Doue took a penalty against Liverpool in the Champions League at Anfield," Diaw said. "So I decided to dive in the same direction. It worked."

One reason for the inconsistency is PSG's rotation policy. Instead of relying on one designated taker, Enrique regularly changes the player stepping up to the spot. Vitinha, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Goncalo Ramos and Doue have all taken penalties this season. According to Opta statistics, no team in Europe has had more different players miss penalties during the current campaign.

The policy stems from past dressing-room tensions over penalties involving former stars Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. PSG moved away from the idea of a single permanent taker to avoid similar conflicts.

Enrique has remained committed to that approach despite the recent misses.

"We are in a special moment," the PSG manager said. "It is not normal that we are failing to convert so many clear chances. We have many players who can take penalties. Only those who shoot can make mistakes. But we will continue to rotate the takers."

With Doue, Dembele, Vitinha and Barcola all missing this season, alternatives such as Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes could yet get their opportunity. For now, however, PSG's commitment to rotation means the search for a reliable penalty taker continues.