Still in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, injured since the match against Turkey, Zinédine Zidane chose to line up Ousmane Dembélé in the number 9 role on Monday evening against Belgium. If the Blues won (4-1), the performance of the 2025 Ballon d’Or was generally considered disappointing. Enough to fuel the debates between those who deplore the level of play offered by the player in the French team, and those who believe, on the other hand, that he remains essential.
At the time of the post-match debriefing, the journalists from the L’Équipe channel were divided on the subject. Already critical of Ousmane Dembélé in recent days, Dave Appadoo has done it again. “I believe that the more things go, the more Ousmane Dembélé puts himself in danger in the France team. We saw that (Michael) Olise has a stratospheric level (…), (Kylian) Mbappé, I don’t even talk about it. This remains this third position. »
And the observer can develop the depth of his thoughts.
“I believe that (Desired) Doué is showing things that Dembélé did not show. In ten years – I’m not talking about titles, but about his production and the player he is supposed to be – I find that his career is very, very, very below what we can ask for. (…) I find that he is losing points and that the more things go, the less he looks like the player he is supposed to be. »
Ousmane Dembélé and the “totally disproportionate” criticism
A scathing verdict which made Giovanni Castaldi react. After having nevertheless recognized that the offensive French had not been good against the Belgians, the journalist still defended him.
“I find that the criticism of Ousmane Dembélé is totally disproportionate, because he is being asked to be a player that he is not. »
Carine Galli’s former companion added, a bit annoyed.
“There is one thing that annoys me more than anything, which is that we spend our time, because he plays number 9, that he has to complete so many dribbles, so many goals, while Dembélé was Ballon d’Or by being the key player in a system. And we forget too much what he can do without the ball. »
