Paris Saint-Germain returned to action this Sunday with the Champions Trophy to be played against AS Monaco, on the pitch at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar. A meeting that was important for several reasons. The Parisians, title holders and winners of 10 of the last 11 editions, had the objective of starting this crucial month of January with a first title this season, before playing for their survival in the Champions League against Manchester City then Stuttgart. And on an individual level, there were also a lot at stake, particularly for Ousmane Dembélé, who had caused a lot of ink to flow before the end-of-year holiday break. Sent off against Bayern Munich, the French international had some friction with Luis Enrique, according to information revealed by the newspaper The Team. The French daily notably mentioned “sequences worthy of an inexperienced player”, which poses a big problem for a French international with 53 caps, World champion in 2018 who played for FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund. Especially in such a young group like Paris Saint-Germain.
The rest after this ad
Before Christmas, Luis Enrique had also responded to these rumors of possible internal quarrels with Ousmane Dembélé at a press conference: “it’s also a message for the supporters. All information and especially in important matches is useful. I try to use them. I want everyone to rebel, for everyone who hasn’t warmed up to want to give the best of themselves. My obsession is seeing players who want to fight. I have the same relationship with all the players. I’m a coach. I am not their father, their brother, their bro. I am the coach. I decide, I have to make decisions, I have no problem making them, the best ones for my team. Which means getting everyone out of the comfort zone, those who play more as well as those who play less. I’ve always done it in my career and I don’t plan to change», declared the Spanish coach. After a few days of vacation and winter break, the spotlight would be on Ousmane Dembélé, starting at the forefront of the Parisian attack, during a golden display against AS Monaco with a title on the line.
A leader who sent a message
Aligned in a role of false number 9, Ousmane Dembélé was quickly in sight in this clash. Author of a first blocked strike (2nd), the very free Ile-de-France number 10 distinguished himself again by unleashing two beautiful strikes, repelled by Köhn (21st, 23rd). Author of the only goal of the match, the French international is aware that the break has been good for the group but there is still work to be done to be more effective and realistic: “after having had ten days of vacation. The coach still gave us ten days, it felt good. It’s quite difficult to come back but we put in the intensity. I think we had a good match, even if we missed a few chances. Afterwards, on both sides, things could change. I’m happy to have scored at the end, as they say. Another title, it’s my fourth with PSG. I’m happy. Doubt? No. Monaco is a good team. We saw him during the Ligue 1 match, just a little tilted. We led there, they came back, they even drove past. We came back. There you go, anything can happen with AS Monaco. We are happy to have a trophy and to win this match“, he said. Confident and very mobile, he was narrowly countered by a still inspired Köhn after returning from the locker room (52nd). Unstoppable on the ball and at the origin of the Parisian offensives, he often destabilized the Monegasque defense, like this new rush (73rd) or this luminous serve for Hakimi (74th).
The rest after this ad
Beyond the goal, the victory and the trophy won, Ousmane Dembélé wants above all to retain full confidence for the group, while PSG begins a perilous month of January between the two long-awaited posters against Manchester City and Stuttgart in Champions League, the round of 16 of the Coupe de France or even the clash against RC Lens in Ligue 1: “the PSG scorer? No, no. Everyone scores goals. Everyone has opportunities. We try to be efficient, to score more goals. This second part of the season is going to be exciting for us. We start with a trophy. We are optimistic for the future. Confidence for the month of January? The Champions League, of course, but at PSG, all matches are important. We will stay focused. We know there is an important match against Manchester City. He’s in the heads, we’re going to try to win at the Parc des Princes“, he concluded. Let’s see what the future will hold for PSG and its number 10. But in any case, Ousmane Dembélé is restarting 2025 with fanfare. A return to grace after the storm.
Pub. the 05/01/2025 20:36
– UPDATE 05/01/2025 22:53
