Final Tuesday evening, after Paris Saint-Germain wrapped up a convincing 3-0 win over Brest of their UEFA Champions League knockout part playoff first-leg at Guingamp, Ousmane Dembélé, who had simply scored a brace within the recreation, was nonetheless a bit grumpy. After I ran into him proper by the PSG dressing room, there was no smile on his face regardless of having netted 18 objectives in his final 12 appearances, even with not scoring towards Toulouse on Saturday after a second-half cameo.
Why the grumpiness then? Vitinha, who was subsequent to him, was teasing him a bit for his demeanor. It seems Dembélé was not too pleased as a result of he missed a few possibilities. “I ought to have scored 4,” he informed a few of his teammates.
Nobody within the PSG dressing room begrudged the 2018 World Cup winner for lacking two possibilities within the second half of the sport, certainly one of them going simply vast and the opposite smothered by Brest keeper Marco Bizot. In spite of everything, his teammates know too effectively that he’s their X-Issue.
“It’s unbelievable to have him on this type for us,” Vitinha informed ESPN after Tuesday’s victory. “He’s unbelievable in the intervening time, and we all the time knew he had it in him.”
That is the brand new Dembélé for you. Previous variations would not have been too involved with lacking possibilities. He was (and nonetheless is at instances) a winger, and wingers are traditionally on the pitch to get assists (which he additionally does very effectively), to not rating. Now, issues are totally different. In Luis Enrique’s PSG, essentially the most in-form crew in Europe proper now and among the many most entertaining, Dembélé performs because the No.9. A false-nine, positive, however one who has to attain. And boy, he’s simply doing that.
A fast evaluate of his mind-blowing numbers:
• 10 objectives (two hat methods and two braces) in 4 video games over 15 days, previous to the Toulouse one. The utmost Lionel Messi scored in a four-game span is 16, again in 2013. Cristiano Ronaldo‘s finest? 12
• 15 objectives in 9 matches for the reason that begin of 2025, greater than some other participant in Europe
• 18 objectives for the reason that begin of Dec. 2024, greater than some other participant in Europe
• He has extra objectives win 2025 (15 in 9 video games) than in the entire of 2024 (13 in 42 video games)
• Scored least a aim in eight consecutive matches for less than the fifth time in PSG historical past after Carlos Bianchi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar twice
• First ever PSG participant to attain within the first eight video games of a calendar yr. The earlier report was 5
• First participant within the massive 5 leagues since Sergio Aguero in 2018 to attain at the very least 15 objectives within the first two months of a calendar yr
• 29 objectives and assists 29 video games in all competitions this season
Does any of this imply Dembélé is one of the best participant on this planet proper now? L’Equipe earnestly requested the query on Wednesday, and it does really feel untimely. You may argue that the groups he scored towards throughout this spectacular run should not one of the best, however nonetheless: you’ll be able to solely beat what’s in entrance of you. And to be truthful, Lyon, Manchester Metropolis, Stuttgart, Monaco (twice) are not any minnows.
Regardless, for those who fee Dembélé’s degree of opponent or not, for those who suppose just like the PSG gamers joke that he can win the Ballon d’Or if he continues like this, the principle (and actual solely query) stays: how did he get right here? What has turned him right into a aim machine?
Luis Enrique stated jokingly on Wednesday that we should always ask the France ahead what “he had for dinner at Christmas” to possibly clarify his transformation. Extra critically, the PSG supervisor additionally touched upon an fascinating level.
Again in October, Dembélé was not picked within the squad that travelled to London to play Arsenal within the Champions League after he disagreed along with his coach on certainly one of his selections.
“The perfect factor I did with Ousmane was to drop him for that recreation, which you all criticised me for,” stated Luis Enrique in his Friday information convention. “As a result of then the remaining, he did it himself, along with his teammates and his crew, along with his confidence and his expertise.”
The incident had a constructive impression on the 27-year-old. He had an extended chat with Luis Enrique within the days that adopted, and the supervisor additionally began to play him extra as a false 9, utilizing him between the strains, nearer to the aim and extra within the field. Again then, the effectivity in entrance of aim was nonetheless not there, so Dembélé labored onerous on enhancing his ending. He did a whole lot of further capturing drills after coaching, a whole lot of video evaluation and visualization of what he was doing or not doing when he had possibilities.
At this level within the season, it is very a lot Dembélé’s world and we’re simply residing in it. He will not rating two objectives a recreation each week, after all, however for now, he’s strolling on water as his onerous work has paid off.
Let’s examine how lengthy Dembélé can keep at this degree.
