Ousmane Dembélé makes talk in Barcelona: after an international truce where we spoke only of his delays, the French winger has emerged to register a new crucial goal this weekend. What will win consistently Wednesday in the Champions League in Eindhoven?
His coming into play and his equalizer on Saturday in Liga against Atlético Madrid (1-1) were the image of his start to the season: decisive but with a taste of unfinished for FC Barcelona, who tries to polish somehow this diamond bought for 147 M EUR (bonus included) in 2017. "He has decisive interventions in the game, he scored important goals , " summed up his coach Ernesto Valverde, very protective with the attacker .
Dembélé (21) has scored seven goals this season and almost everyone has counted: in August, his under-the-bar shot earned Barça the Spanish Supercap against Sevilla (2-1).
Then the international snatched victory in Valladolid (1-0) and against Real Sociedad (2-1), delivered a decisive pass in the clasico against Real Madrid (5-1) and signed two equalizations in extremis against the Rayo Vallecano (with a 3-2 win) and Atlético.
Football +. FC Barcelona gets impatient and issues an ultimatum to Ousmane Dembélé
fury
In short, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, he is the most decisive man of Barça ... but also the most criticized, as the Camp Nou awaits the wonders of the replacement of Neymar, arrived from Dortmund in the summer of 2017. Excluded from the Blaugrana group for the final match before the international break because of repeated delays, relegated to the substitutes bench against Atlético, Dembélé made the headlines in Catalonia for two weeks, some newspapers even considering his departure.
Last year, the Catalan press focused on his injuries and possible dietary problems for the French. This season, she focuses on her delays, in training or before matches.
Questioned on the subject, coach Didier Deschamps and center-forward Luis Suarez each stung the "Mosquito", advising him publicly to be more disciplined.
Of the fierceness? "Maybe a little," quipped Valverde. Thus, on his return from the gathering of the Blues, Dembélé was assailed by several Spanish journalists who were waiting for him at the exit of the airport. The winger, helmet on the ears, refused to answer before rushing into a car.
Become more constant
"When there is an international truce, it is always necessary to create a debate" , played down the middle Sergio Busquets, vice-captain of Barça. "It fell on him but I'm sure his goal (against Atlético) will do him good.It is a very young player and it takes a time of adaptation, in football as in personal life (...) All this will help him to progress. "
And to become more consistent, the real gap of this striker gifted, fast and technical. "What's good with him is that he is very quiet, he is not in doubt, and the team does not doubt him," said side Jordi Alba.
Moreover, his teammates warmly hugged him after his goal at the Metropolitano, while their reaction less effusive face Rayo Vallecano had been talking. This is the ransom of genius: everything that does or does not Ousmane Dembélé is commented closely.
"It's a great talent and we need to help him express it," says Valverde. The technician is expected to give him a chance on Wednesday in Eindhoven, where Barça, already qualified for the eighth, can secure the first place of his pool of C1 for the 20th time in history, a European record.