The French winger found himself in big situations on Saturday during Paris Saint-Germain’s draw in Auvergne (0-0). Without however managing to unlock his account with the capital club.
It’s starting to take its toll. Recruited this summer from FC Barcelona, Ousmane Dembélé has still not managed to score a single goal with Paris Saint-Germain. On the Clermont pitch, where his club took only one point despite 21 shots attempted (0-0), Saturday September 30, the French international completed his seventh game without scoring with his new club. Yet he had the opportunities.
Whether full axis on a shift from a Kylian Mbappé at the end of the race (19th) or on the right of six meters upon receiving a bright opening from Vitinha (40th), “Dembouz” was defeated by goalkeeper Mory Diaw, Auvergne’s savior on numerous occasions during the game. Continuing from his start to the season where his finishing clearly leaves something to be desired (4/14 shots on target, or 28%).
No goals since the end of January
While his attacking partners, Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos, unlocked their counters against Olympique de Marseille last week, this lack of efficiency from the Frenchman risks becoming more and more visible. But Luis Enrique did not seem particularly worried 10 days ago after the victory in the Champions League against Dortmund (2-0), where Dembélé showed good understanding with his side, Achraf Hakimi.
“If I was a fan of any team, I would pay for my ticket to see Ousmane play. He has different qualities. He can miss three times, but he is a player with magic. Maybe he wants score your first goal, but it’s a normal process.”, assured the Spanish coach. The fact remains that the 26-year-old player – disturbed at the start of the year by one of his usual hamstring injuries – has not found the net in competition since January 25 with Barça (against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey).
Not yet clear in the game
Beyond his sense of goal, the former Rennais is not as decisive as usual. Although he made his first Parisian offering during the Classic, Ousmane Dembélé only too rarely manages to bring danger. This Saturday again against a well-established Clermont block, his dribbling skills should have made it possible to create spaces. Without much success in the end, like his choice to send a poorly felt pass to Randal Kolo Muani when he could take advantage of a bad opponent’s restart to hit (43rd).
The reading of his match would obviously have been different if Kylian Mbappé had found the fault rather than the post on a serve from his friend (53rd). But even in the last pass, the 2018 world champion shows his limits. As proof, he only displays 31% of successful crosses at Paris Saint-Germain (15/48).
While Luis Enrique had opted for an offensive formation in 3-3-4 with attack line Barcola-Mbappé-Kolo Muani-Dembélé against the red lantern, the situation could be different in four days, with an expected trip against Newcastle in Champions League. Ousmane Dembélé will always have the same problem to solve.