“Extraordinary talent”, “world class, “unique player”… You don’t need to push Luis Enrique too much to hear him sing the praises of Ousmane Dembélé. When asked about the 26-year-old French international, the Spanish coach never misses an opportunity to praise his “magic”, his “attitude”. “I would pay for my ticket to see him play,” Luis Enrique once again dared, “in love with his game.” Don’t throw any more away! We haven’t seen a PSG coach so complimentary for one of his players since Thomas Tuchel with Angel Di Maria, of whom he was a fan since the time he played at Real Madrid. I love it!”, enthused the German technician.
As for Dembélé, Luis Enrique still admits that he needs to “improve”. This is about statistics and efficiency. Because we are still waiting to see the former Rennes, Dortmund and Barcelona player find the net since his €50 million transfer to Paris this summer. 10 starts, 13 matches and no goals. Is it serious doctor ? “His statistics will improve, I have no doubt about that,” evaded the former Spain coach, who left Barça in 2017, when the Catalan club was going to pay €135 million for attract “Dembouz”.
Which “Dembouz” was coming off a season with 10 goals and 21 assists with the BVB. His best in terms of statistics. One of his four seasons with 10 or more goals in his career. Clearly, Dembélé is not a numbers player, that would be known. In 2022-23, he compiled eight goals and nine assists in 35 matches, in all competitions, with FC Barcelona, the Spanish champion. “If in addition to everything it does very well, that is to say this ability to destabilize, to eliminate, it adds greater efficiency…”, Didier Deschamps recently whispered. To complete the coach’s sentence, we could say that if the Norman were more effective, he would be in the caste of Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi and other Kylian Mbappé. This is not the case. He’s a different player, who will always have a significant waste in the last move, who will always make one or two crosses to the third post, who will forget to make the right call and who will send some of his shots into the stands.
Yes, but there is everything else. And it’s not nothing. Dembélé already allows Paris Saint-Germain to stretch the opposing defenses, which provides more space for his big friend Mbappé to operate on the left. We could talk about his ability to eliminate any defender and his incredible ability to make a difference. Yes, there is all that. “DD” also regularly mentions “its speed and its percussion”. “He wants to score his first goal, but he is a wonderful player with an immense capacity to create danger,” summarizes Luis Enrique, not about to deprive him of his confidence and take him out of his 11.
Danger, and also pleasure. A notion not to be minimized with Dembélé. It is even essential. With it, you’re guaranteed to get out of your seat a handful of times in the match. “I am passionate about football above all. I like to please the supporters who come to the stadium. I like to give joy, I like to dribble, to get the crowds up. And Paris is all that!”, he launched via the club media, shortly after his signing, last summer still displaying his ambition to “score a lot of goals, make a lot of assists and give joy to the supporters.
As for the goals, we understand, we will still have to wait. It was not far from happening against Milan (3-0). A foul by Manuel Ugarte at the start of the action deprived him of this joy. A fault that “Dembouz” had also seen clearly, as he confided to his teammates at the end of the meeting. “Well why did you go to celebrate then?” asked Mbappé. “You give me attention, that’s why,” Dembélé retorted, all smiles. Remember that the two players were close before their meeting in Paris. Friends like pigs. “Welcome home my brother. So happy to see you here,” “KM” rejoiced upon his arrival. And added: “The adventure begins.” A friendship that allows all kinds of room. “Who could I give glasses to? Oh well, I could give some to Ousmane Dembélé, it would help him score (laughs). With questions like that, the best thing is to shoot your friends (laughs),” Kylian Mbappé recently laughed, in the pages of Le Parisien.
Since then, Dembélé has missed the mark again against Montpellier (3-0). Author of a fairly limited first period, the native of Vernon (Eure) never stopped provoking, trying, without forgetting the defensive withdrawal. With Mbappé well placed on the left, he had plenty of time to operate on the right, with his partner Achraf Hakimi. Winning ticket Friday. Winning ticket very often since the start of the season, with 39% of attacks going this way (33% on the left). “We know that we have a lot of qualities on the right. “Haki” and “Ous” played very well together. They feel good. Today, there was a lot of danger on their side, the right side was our strong point,” analyzed Milan Skriniar.
Two assists for the Moroccan and one for the Frenchman. Because yes, Dembélé was also decisive on Friday. His third “D pass” of the season. A magnificent inspiration, sliding the ball with the sole, backwards, towards Warren Zaire-Emery for the break goal. Awesome. Big class. And important, since it allowed Paris to realize its domination and break away from this eye-catching Montpellier team. Enough to forget that he missed 10 of his 16 dribbles, gave in in 13 of his 21 duels and lost 34 balls. Dembélé is all that, the failures, the efforts, the genius. He won’t change. You have to take it like that. This is the package. It’s like that.
The goals ? It’s going to come, sooner or later. Perhaps at San Siro against AC Milan, this Tuesday (9 p.m.), during the fourth day of C1. Or not. “We prepared well before the big Champions League match,” summarized Ousmane Dembélé after PSG-Montpellier, on Amazon, not showing himself at all worried about his lack of success in front of the opposing goal. “It doesn’t weigh on me at all. I’m happy with the match I had. All that’s missing is one goal.” Good news ? As long as Hakimi, the midfielders or the inevitable Mbappé fuel the scoring, Dembélé can continue to play the “energizer” without worrying about it, for the pleasure of the public and his Parisian teammates.
