In the draw against Eibar, the most recent in a string of blushes that
Ronald Koeman's
Barcelona
seem to never tire of chaining,
Ousmane Dembélé
was one of the few positive notes.
With
Leo Messi
, who will be able to play this Sunday (9:00 p.m.) against Huesca, in the stands,
Antoine Griezmann
again showed that he is still far from justifying the 120 million euros of his signing.
He did not even run to take
Braithwaite's
missed penalty
almost early in the game.
His compatriot, on the other hand, managed to give the game another air.
It was not enough to win, but right now, it is transmitting good feelings again.
Dembélé, on paper, has everything to succeed: he has devilish speed and performs equally well on both legs.
It is almost impossible to say for sure if you are left-handed or right-handed from birth.
What insists on cutting his progression at Barça over and over again is his physique.
So far, he has had a total of nine muscle injuries as a Barcelona player.
The last one, suffered at the beginning of last December, had him sick for 22 days.
The biceps femoris, however, is the muscle that has led him the most down the path of bitterness.
On September 16, 2017, in his first official match as a starter with
Valverde
, in Getafe, he broke the tendon of that muscle in his left leg and he was in the dry dock for 106 days.
On February 4, 2020, while, after 66 days off due to a muscle tear, the tendon of the biceps femoris in his right leg broke and he was away from the pitch for 191 more days.
In total, Dembélé has missed 85 games with Barça due to his physical problems.
That is to say, almost the same ones that he has played since he was signed by pulling the checkbook as one of the first emergency solutions to cover
Neymar's
escape
to PSG.
His numbers, in the 87 games in which the Barça shirt has defended, offer a balance of 24 goals and 18 assists.
Or what is the same, an average of 0.28 goals and 0.21 assists per game.
His statistics with Dortmund were better in the assistant field, with 22 in 50 games (with an average of 0.44), but somewhat worse in the definition, with 10 goals (0.20 on average).
THE NEED FOR A REFERENCE
In Germany it was easier for him to find someone to hit the plate than at Stade de Rennes, his first team as a professional, with which he offered five assists in 29 games (average 0.17), although in France he was able to explode better his scoring profile, with 12 goals (0.41 per game).
Would Dembélé improve with a clear reference point game after game?
It is an incognito to which only time can answer.
For now, Koeman has been betting on Braithwaite as a center forward, but the Dane was not entirely fine against Eibar and another change of system cannot be ruled out.
What the Dutchman is clear about is that, above all, he needs more forcefulness.
And not only by a Griezmann who has not just taken off at Barça.
“We need the forwards to be effective, not just Antoine.
We need to improve.
I believe that in the attack part we must be more efficient, "assumed a Koeman who already has prepared both possible entries and exits in the winter market, although everything will be in the hands of whoever is the new president.
«I think the best thing for some is that they can play games and they have a difficult time at this club.
In addition, we want to strengthen the squad ", wielded the coach, in a phrase that clearly seems like a new invitation to pack for
Riqui Puig
.
The injury to
Philippe Coutinho
, who will be out for about three months after undergoing surgery for an injury to the meniscus in his left knee, also complicates everything a little more.
«It is a significant casualty.
We also have
Ansu Fati
,
Piqué
,
Sergi Roberto
... Almost all of them are starters in the team.
We lack people and sometimes that is a problem ”, he assumed.
"Let's see how we can solve it," said the Barcelona coach.
Umtiti
, meanwhile, will be low due to a gastric ailment.
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Know more
FC Barcelona
SD Huesca
Antoine Griezmann
Ronald Koeman
Coutinho
soccer
First division
LaLiga Santander 2020 - 2021Coutinho, the most expensive signing of Barcelona that already costs half
LaLiga Santander 2020 - 2021Eibar is also choking on Barça
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