Seventh Parisian shooter during the penalty shootout once morest Nice (0-0, 5-6 pens), in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, Xavi Simons had missed his attempt once morest Marcin Bulka, just like his teammate Leandro Paredes a few minutes earlier. At a press conference, his coach Mauricio Pochettino explained that the decision to let the youngest of the evening go and strike was not his. “The choice and order of the first five shooters had been decided before the session, explained the Argentinian coach. We thought we might win with these five. Afterwards, it is according to those who feel that it is decided. »
On social networks, the 18-year-old Dutch striker reacted for the first time following his team’s elimination on Monday evening, a first so early in the competition since 2013, and a defeat in the round of 16 once morest Montpellier (1 -2). “Falling, getting up and, above all, learning. Thank you all for the posts! We continue, ”wrote Xavi Simons on Twitter. A way for him to turn the page on this unfortunate episode.
On the evening of the meeting, it was Nice coach Christophe Galtier who defended the young Parisian hopeful: “He went there with nerve and desire. He misses it. It’s an unpleasant moment for an 18-year-old kid. Obviously, it’s an elimination, but we can’t put the weight on the shoulders of a young boy who, moreover, is very good. His partners have experience, they will help him digest this. »
Many observers and fans wondered why a more experienced player didn’t go and shoot. If Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Leandro Paredes, Julian Draxler and Marco Verratti had already fired theirs, at that point in the session there were still Danilo Pereira, Presnel Kimpembe, Thilo Kehrer, even Gianluigi Donnarumma, all internationals, capable of to strike before the young midfielder.
