Dembouz is making his comeback in the French team on the occasion of the last tricolor rally before the Euro.

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FRANCK FIFE / AFP

  • Ousmane Dembélé's last match with the France team dates back to November 16, 2018, during the defeat (2-1) of the Blues in the Netherlands.

  • Back in shape this season in the Barça jersey, the former Rennais rejoined the France group at the best of times, three months before the start of the Euro.

  • If we found the Dembélé capable of putting a huge box in the opposing defenses, the French striker still fishes too often in the last gesture.

With some, it is the silences that you have to listen to and dissect in order to understand the depths of their thinking.

With Didier Deschamps, it's easier, it's all in the grin.

Example last Thursday, when we invited the coach to explain why he had chosen to recall Ousmane Dembélé in Blue two years after his last summons to the A. to make the differences… even if it could be more efficient [smirk].

"

At the same time, in his head, he probably returned, like us, the images of Dembélé at the Parc des Princes, in the round of 16 return of C1 against PSG.

That evening, from his left side, Dembélé blasted the Parisian defense, sometimes creating spaces that only existed in his head, to ultimately harvest the last move EVERY TIME.

If Philippe Montanier, the coach who started him pro with Rennes in 2015, finds us a little harsh with him, he validates our observation: “Apart from once he shoots over, I would say it's more Navas who played well than Ousmane who was not good.

I don't think we can say that he harvested in the sense that he did not show up five times alone in front of the goal and shoot five times on the side.

After, I agree, its axis of progression is located there, in the finish.

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At the Park (as at Camp Nou), Dembélé could have hurt PSG more by applying in the last gesture.

- FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Montanier does not worry about him

After having wondered (too) long if the former Dortmund was not wasting his talent - because of a lifestyle more conducive to a license in philosophy than a career as a top footballer level - we now wonder about its ability to progress in the last gesture.

Because with his extraordinary talent, imagine the feast it would be if “Dembouz” became a real clinical scorer… Brrr, the chills!

For the former Rennes coach, the main one with Dembélé, who has scored 28 goals and 21 assists Dec 'in 110 games with Barça, it was first of all that he found consistency after a last year rotten by the injuries.

“I find it more consistent in recent months with Barcelona and that's a good thing, he analyzes.

I have the impression that he has changed in the way he approaches his job, it's done in a more professional way with everything called invisible preparation.

This allowed him to be more reliable physically and more reliable overall in the field.

In peace with his body, the Norman will therefore be able to stake on his finish in front of the goal.

Montanier: “Experienced scorers manage to have this accuracy, this coldness, call it what you want.

And often they evoke a certain relaxation in the one-on-one that allows them to turn opportunities into goals.

With Ousmane, I think it will come with experience and age.

It is even possible that in the coming months, it will manage to take a step in this direction.

“It's not too bad, it seems that the Blues are playing a little competition 'sympatoche in June.

Play it like Aubame

For that, we invite him to look into the case of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Cataloged in the radius of the dragsters-competition-only-good-to-overflow-and-center when he was in Monaco, the Gabonese gradually turned into a goal machine by landing near Saint-Etienne.

Assistant to Christophe Galtier at the time, Alain Blachon remembers this metamorphosis perfectly.

“He was a player who wasn't particularly a goalscorer when he arrived with us, but at some point he made the decision to work.

And as he was already very fast and not awkward at all with the ball, it was enough to press the button, to have a click to make it all happen with goals, ”he rewinds.

How? 'Or' What ?

Oh, nothing very revolutionary to listen to him: “He started to work hard after training, we did a lot of specific workshops in particular.

But very simple things eh, you take the ball, you hit the goal (laughs) ”.

But that was enough for Aubameyang to take a liking to it.

“He started to plant a few goals, to realize that he had talent as a goalscorer and everything got underway, it was gone.

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Rarely decisive in Monaco or Lille, Aubameyang has become a real goalscorer under the orders of Christophe Galtier in Sainté.

- PHILIPPE MERLE / AFP

In the same category of late risers, we also think of Didier Drogba.

Replacing at Le Mans and then during his first six months at Guingamp, the player saw the light one evening in August 2002 against the great Lyon of Juninho.

Came into play at 1-3, the Ivorian released a perfect score and equalized in the 93rd in a levitating Roudourou.

As Coco Michel, the Guingamp captain at the time, explained to us in an old paper, it clicked.

“When he arrived in January 2002, we already didn't really know him, and above all, we have to say what is: he was not good.

He pretty much missed everything he tried.

On the work in front of the goal, he forced his strikes too much and he put everything aside.

This match was able to play a big role mentally.

From there, everything he had missed previously in training, it came back every time.

At the end, he could have shot with his eyes closed, it would have come in.

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Deschamps prefers to take Dembélé as he is

Put together, two trends emerge to get there: first a lot of work and the little click that goes well at the end to accompany all that.

"Ousmane is capable of making big differences, of scoring goals, then he could score more and gain in efficiency, it's true," Didier Deschamps agreed at a press conference on Tuesday.

As you mature, you certainly make better choices, although attackers always have times when they are less effective than others.

For Deschamps, "the idea is not to transform it" at all.

"It's him, he has his flashes (...), he's like that," he continues, almost skeptical on the question.

Not that he can't progress, but I prefer to look more at his qualities anyway.

The players all have little flaws that we can erase over time.

Sometimes it does not erase, they are like that.

"An observation moderately shared by Alain Blachon:" Dembélé is a super talented guy, super complete, with a big technique, two good feet, capable of scoring goals from near or far, so he has everything he needs to develop his qualities as a finisher.

"Without wanting to put DD on your back, we still prefer to opt for scenario number 2.

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  • Didier Deschamps

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  • Ousmane Dembele

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