The meetings follow one another and are (unfortunately) similar for Ousmane Dembélé. Arriving at Paris Saint-Germain during the summer for a check for 50 million euros, the French international (39 caps, 4 goals) is struggling, for the moment, to stand out positively in the French capital. If the enthusiasm displayed around the Parisian number 10 was nevertheless at the height of his talent, the first assessment of “Dembouz” in the City of Lights remains, for its part, very meager. Once again aligned by Luis Enrique on the front of the Parisian attack, Friday evening, during the 5th day of Ligue 1, the Vernon crack, credited with a 3.5 by the FM editorial staff, thus returned a copy more than insufficient despite the victory snatched against the Aiglons.
Well below the expectations placed on him, the ambidextrous player, renowned for his arabesques and his technical ease, was especially noted for his significant waste and more than questionable choices. Symbol of this contribution that is far too weak and like his first outings with PSG (a start against Toulouse and two starts against Lens and Lyon), the former twirling winger of FC Barcelona returned to the locker room with his head down with a worrying statistical line: 2 small duels won out of 7, only one successful dribble out of 4 attempted, no attempts on target and 13 lost balls (18 over the entire match), the highest total among the 22 players present on the pitch of the Parc des Princes.
A problematic finish…
More than disappointing figures, Dembélé especially stood out for his lack of lucidity in the last thirty meters. Ideally launched by Kylian Mbappé shortly before the half-hour mark, the Frenchman presented himself alone against the Nice goalkeeper but completely unscrewed his shot, forgetting in the process to serve Gonçalo Ramos, although perfectly placed (28th). In the wake of this huge failure, Mbappé woke up the Park with a powerful first-intention strike. Not enough, however, to bring Dembélé out of his torpor… Inconstant, clumsy and often caught by Melvin Bard, the one who distinguished himself – despite everything – by some flashes was still harvesting… Taking advantage of a nice Parisian movement and shifted by Ramos, the French striker crossed his shot too much despite an ideal shooting angle (38th). A performance (still) very far from the genius that is attributed to him and just as morose upon returning from the locker room.
Too little impact, he finally gave way to Bradley Barcola shortly after the hour mark (67th). A new score with many false notes recalling recent statements made by Didier Deschamps about him. “Is this problematic? He actually has this ability to make differences. The finish is not a question of age, that would be a plus. Being able to combine better efficiency would further highlight what it does well”. Already disappointing against Ireland during the international break, Dembélé certainly retains this capacity for percussion and elimination but is, for the moment, still having just as much difficulty in being decisive. Facing Borussia Dortmund, next Tuesday on the first day of the group stage of the Champions League, the person concerned will logically be keen to prove that he is capable of much better, what’s more, against his former club. PSG and its supporters expect no less.
