Today, French football has two major attractions: Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola. But not Ousmane Dembélé. Considering his age (27 years old), his CV, the total amount of his transfers and the hopes placed in him since his sensational debut at Stade Rennais, the right winger has everything to be a must-see. And yet no.
At Paris Saint-Germain, the spotlight is on the left or in the middle on Vitinha and João Neves. In the French team, after being downgraded at the Euro, he was not in the almost typical eleven launched against Italy and his entry left something to be desired. Fortunately, he managed to find the back of the net during the 2-0 victory against Belgium. As a symbol? And what if this relatively anecdotal goal was the marker of a renewal? Because Ousmane Dembélé is undoubtedly at a turning point in his career.
Only seven goals with PSG
With the new Champions League formula approaching, the competition that has strengthened in Ligue 1 and the departure of Kylian Mbappé, footballing reality requires that “Dembouz” now delivers performances as a technical leader, in line with the number 10 he wears on his back. This involves better decisions in the last third of the pitch, better quality crosses, and in fine an increase in his stats.
Even though Kylian Mbappé’s contribution to the game left something to be desired, it was still a windfall of around thirty goals that went to Real Madrid. For a striker of Ousmane Dembélé’s caliber, in a team like PSG, it’s hard to justify a meager total of seven goals in 45 games.
Certainly, his two goals in the quarter-finals of the Champions League had been crucial. They had been widely praised, also because it was an exceptional fact, whereas it should be the norm. Because all this is not just a matter of numbers, but also a fact that is taken into account by the opposing defenders. “When he overflows, the other players are like spectators watching how the action will end”, Argentinian coach Jorge Sampaoli had lamented for So Foot.
“A football epicurean”
The player finally realized it. “People tell me I’m too generous and that I’m always looking to pass,” Ousmane Dembélé told TF1 at the end of the training session with Les Bleus. “This season, I’m going to try my luck even more. Coach Luis Enrique keeps telling me that. He always tells me to take my chances, but above all to hit the target even if the ball is blocked because there could be a teammate who can score. I try to work on that in every training session.”
Previously, being demanding with him was more difficult because of his recurring injuries. The spells in the infirmary made him miss almost 150 matches with FC Barcelona. It was impossible in these conditions to prove his worth and simply to progress. “He cost a lot and did not leave a great memory”, said Edgar Fornos, former Barça TV. “We expected a crack performance but he was not in form. He replaced Neymar but people did not connect with him. Every year, we said that it was his year”, added Jaume Marcet, former press officer of Luis Enrique at Barça B.
This physical fragility is perhaps what caused him to fall behind on the split times. But that is now behind him. So the question remains: is Ousmane Dembélé able to make up for this lost time and develop his game?
The topic has sparked strong reactions in Generation After on RMC: “I am stunned by Ousmane Dembélé who says, at 27, that he is taking it very seriously,” commented Elton Mokolo. For me, he is a football epicurean. He wants to enjoy football, but at some point you have to be a killer. You have to be used to this idea of making a difference. Because the hardest thing in football, and the most important thing, is to score the goal. When I see a Federer doing scales at over 30 or Stephen Curry working on three-pointers… These are guys who have won everything. However, they are driven by this idea of progressing even more.”
“He must not go from one extreme to another,” observed Daniel Riolo in theAfter Foot. I would like him to be fair, to make the right decisions. (…) We are not talking about a bad player. We all have the feeling when we see him that, if he made the right decision or missed a little less, he would be an atomic bomb, an exceptional player”. Or at least the best player in the championship, which is what he can first aspire to.
- RMC Sport
