VIDEO. MHSC: how Téji Savanier, after a failed Panenka two years ago, became the king of penalties, in the race towards a fabulous record

Brest est la victime préférée de Téji Savanier, qui a déjà inscrit quatre penalties face aux Bretons. MAXPPP – JEAN MICHEL MART

Avec un 14e penalty consécutif inscrit face au PSG, l’artificier de Montpellier, Téji Savanier, s’impose comme l’un des meilleurs tireurs du XXIe siècle. Du moment qu’il ne tente pas une Panenka…

In the "lulu" ! Téji Savanier's last penalty ? In the top corner, obviously, during a prolific MHSC-PSG (2-6), on March 17 at La Mosson. Gianluca Donnarumma, although he started on the right side, saw nothing but fire. Like thirteen of his predecessors, the Parisian goalkeeper also suffered the law of Montpellier, author of fourteen consecutive shots on goal in Ligue 1. An impressive series that began two years ago, on April 3, 2022 against Brest, his favorite victim (4). Calmness, precision, efficiency, angry fist at the exit, it's all there.

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Téji Savanier a transformé ses 14 derniers pénaltys en championnat, tous avec le @MontpellierHSC

🏆 On lui souhaite d'atteindre les 17 de @_fabinhotavares 🇧🇷, record historique… 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GgJzCy9MWH

— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) March 28, 2024

In the statistical tables, podiums seem promised to him. Wissam Ben Yedder (33 penalties), Alexandre Lacazette (28), Olivier Monterrubio (26), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (24), Pedro Pauleta, Neymar (23) and Savanier therefore (23, including 4 with Nîmes Olympique), who sits in good place in the Top 10 of the best penalty scorers in the 21st century. There are good people on the surface, Téji now only speaks to the cracks in the exercise.

6th penalty of the season, tied with Mbappé

Against PSG, he scored his sixth penalty of the season (100% success), tied with Kylian Mbappé. He joins his teammate Whabi Kazhri (then in Saint-Etienne) in third place for the best series of successful penalties.

With, in the viewfinder, the record of the former Monegasque Fabinho (17), which would be within reach if his two penalties inflicted on Clermont (4-2 victory, match to be replayed for throwing a firecracker) had been counted. To paraphrase author Peter Handke, we can well imagine "the goalkeeper’s anxiety at the moment of the penalty” crossing swords with Master Savanier.

Cursed Panenka against Nice

The time of doubts is long gone when, on March 12, 2022, the Hérault playmaker saw his shot on goal – a Panenka – stopped by Nice's Walter Benitez, his third failure in four attempts, after having transformed each of his first eight into the elite.

"The Panenka ? I didn’t think about it, it came like that. I should have thought about it. The waiting time also had a lot to do with it. It was done on purpose, but it's all my fault. I apologize to the supporters for this poorly taken penalty. I tried, it didn't work this evening but I hope it will work for me in the next matches", he explained to the’ #39;epoch, in a premonitory way.

Anecdotal wink, Argentinian Benitez can be proud of being the only goalkeeper to have stopped  a peno from Savanier, the other two failures of the latter having been out of frame. This avalanche of figures and distinctions speaks to the player's effectiveness for the benefit of the MHSC, with which he has a success rate of 86% (19 penalties scored in 22 attempts ).

The fascinating story of a face-to-face encounter

But it does not tell the entire story of this fascinating face-to-face which, as in any relationship between four eyes, contains the visible and what happens in the head, where an inner voice whispers. ;nbsp;: create a vacuum in the firmament of pressure.

L’instant T is so atomic on a psychological level that it fuels a literature on the subject, theses, expert opinions and even a controversy born two weeks ago between the Blues coach Didier Deschamps and Hubert Fournier, the DTN (National Technical Director) of the Federation (FFF).

Noting the failure of the French teams during penalty shootouts in major competitions, the latter recommended "a scenario trying as much as possible to contextualize the penalty shootout".

The coach admits that he "was able to use the word lottery", but insists on the&nbsp ;"balance of power between the shooter and the goalkeeper". And to assert: "It is impossible to recreate the same situation on a psychological and athletic level in a training session compared to a match.’ ;quot; An impossible equation.

A marked preference for the left side

To cerebral questions, Savanier opposes a religious silence in the media, both to ward off bad luck but also to avoid breaking out of his victorious routine, he who registered half of his goals in Ligue 1 from the penalty spot (23 out of 45, 52%), a rare statistic.

Never explain yourself, never show off, so as not to crack the veneer of "infallibility". Platini, Zico, Socrates, Maradona, Baggio, Beckam, Mbappé, many football stars have liquefied at the fateful moment.

A common denominator: it pulls hard 

Gaze fixed on the ball, cat-like stomping, three steps of momentum, perfect body balance, the right-handed Téji already knows where and how he is going to strike. With a clear preference for the left side (11 times in his last 14 penalties) and this famous "lulu" (5), in order to be sure to return the opposing goalkeeper to his helplessness. Common trait to his fourteen penalties: Savanier shoots hard and rarely at ground level.

Téji Savanier's assessment: 11 “penos” shot to the left, 3 to the right.

Heavy strike, flat foot, counter foot, the Montpellier artificer has every opportunity to vary the pleasures, served by the flexibility of the ankle and the precision of a watchmaker, which makes him ;rsquo;allows you to contain your emotions while maintaining your killer instinct.

When the mind embraces technical accuracy, Savanier pierces the nets, awaiting his fifteenth achievement in a row, perhaps as early as this Sunday in Le Havre. A specialist matter. Don't forget to cross your fingers.

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