There is a lot of fuss in Paris. Hoping that the recent spat between Luis Enrique and Ousmane Dembélé does not leave too many traces behind the scenes of the Poissy Campus. This week, the will-o’-the-wisp of the French team was unable to participate in the Champions League match lost by PSG on the Arsenal pitch (2-0), excluded from the group by the Spanish strategist. A sanction for reasons which remain unclear at this time.
Has the abscess been burst yet? Not sure… At least if we consider the comments made by Luis Enrique at a press conference this Saturday, on the eve of the closing poster of the 7th round of Ligue 1 against Nice. “ As I told you at the time of the events, when a player does not meet the obligations, he is not prepared, on the other hand, when he meets the obligations, he is ready. This is something that concerns all Ligue 1 players », Says the former Barça coach, who refused to go into details concerning the ex-Blaugrana winger.
“If someone makes a serious mistake…”
Raised twice on the subject, Luis Enrique did not say more about Ousmane Dembélé, simply justifying his management method. “ I am tough when it is necessary to be tough and more permissive when it is necessary to be and that is the great ability that I have as a coach and as a person. » And to still imply a serious fault committed by the French international in his eyes. “ Each player has a series of obligations to fulfill for the team. Everyone who does it is there. But if someone makes a serious mistake, I make the decisions I need to make. I have no problem making decisions even if they seem difficult. »
The sidelining of Ousmane Dembélé a few days earlier was motivated by reasons “ technical and sports » according to the club. Luis Enrique would not have appreciated the overall performance of his ambidextrous crack against Rennes last weekend, and would have pinned him in front of the entire locker room. A tense explanation would have followed between the protagonists. Until the sanction… A cold spell inevitably embarrassing in a club as high-profile as PSG.