In the aftermath of PSG's 3-1 loss at Rennes, Ousmane Dembele pointed to an excess of individualism, which did not really please Luis Enrique. An unexpected media sequence that forced PSG to manage this developing fire, both internally and externally.
If someone had told us Monday morning, after the brilliant 5-0 victory against Marseille, that PSG would lose 3-1 to a struggling Rennes four days later, we would not have believed it. No one would have imagined either that this defeat, with 3.62 xG in PSG's favor, would lead to such a heated post-match atmosphere, with strong comments from Ousmane Dembele followed by an authoritative response from Luis Enrique.
For those who did not follow, here is a quick reminder of the facts. Friday night, after the 3-1 loss at Rennes, Dembele spoke to Ligue 1+'s microphone and said this: "I think we need to show more desire. Above all, we need to play for Paris Saint-Germain in order to win matches. Because if we each play for ourselves on the field, it's not going to work. We won't win the titles we want. Last season, we put the club Paris Saint-Germain first before thinking about ourselves. And I think we need to find that again, especially in these kinds of matches. We know we're in the second part of the season, and it's Paris Saint-Germain that must come first, not individuals." And Dembele drove the point home: "We need to play for the club first instead of thinking about ourselves."
If this strong statement was surprising, because no glaring excess of individualism took place against Rennes, it could have remained without consequence, or at least simply been taken as a spontaneous reaction after a defeat. But the first surprise came from the response a few minutes later from Luis Enrique, inevitably questioned on the subject in the press conference.
One might have imagined the Spaniard being evasive or saying that his No. 10 was right to say those things. That is not at all what Luis Enrique said, who made sure to speak in Spanish so that his message would be heard, but above all understood: "Players' reactions after the match have no value. None. Neither do coaches', but even less so players'. I will not answer any question or statement from a player. I will never let a player put himself before the club. So that's clear. The person responsible for the team is me. I will never allow a player to think he is more important than the club, than me, than the sporting director or than the club president. So players' statements are worthless. They are the product of a certain end-of-match anger. I think things are very clear."
Luis Enrique thus wanted both to temper the criticism made by Dembele about his team's supposed individualism, but above all to remind that it was not his role to publicly criticize the team. It went a bit more unnoticed, but Dembele was not the only leader to criticize the team Friday night. In the mixed zone, Vitinha delivered a fairly similar message: "We're ready for criticism, that's not the issue. We'll talk about it amongst ourselves; some things worked, others didn't. I know everyone wants to score, but sometimes you have to pass the ball to teammates who are better positioned. I'm not targeting anyone. I can't imagine anyone on this team only thinking about themselves. But we'll discuss it amongst ourselves to fix what didn't work and be ready for the next match."
Vitinha says he is not targeting anyone, Dembele did not give names, but inevitably, these statements sparked speculation. Was Desire Doue, who likes to dribble and sometimes favors the individual solution, being targeted? Many suggested so on social media. But as several French media rightly noted in recent hours, Dembele and Doue get along, have the same agent, and if the former was specifically targeting the latter, he would have told him directly in private and not publicly.
According to Le Parisien, Dembele clarified his comments to the locker room and explained that his criticism was general and aimed to alert about the need to react together after this new setback, already the sixth of the season. According to L'Equipe, Dembele was alerted Friday night about the scale his media comments had taken and made sure to explain privately that he was not targeting anyone in particular and that beyond the defeat, it was the lack of lucidity in finishing and a deficit observed in defensive retreats that frustrated him greatly.
As the Champions League returns Tuesday with a playoff first leg at Monaco, PSG inevitably had to manage internally and externally this developing fire. According to L'Equipe, a clarification took place Saturday morning at Poissy between Luis Enrique, Dembele and the locker room during the traditional post-match debriefing the day after the match and a clear message was delivered: preserve unity and protect the group. As in the press conference the day before, Luis Enrique thus conveyed the message that dirty laundry should be washed in private, not in public.
For PSG, they consider the matter closed, but according to RMC, the staff has nevertheless observed selfish behaviors at training in recent weeks and did not fail to make it known to those concerned. An interesting context to know and which may explain why Dembele broke the silence in such a way Friday.
Should we now fear the situation escalating? That is not really what emerges from the various messages disseminated by PSG through its media channels. If Dembele's statement was perhaps clumsy in form, it essentially allowed tongues to loosen and pushed everyone to say things to each other sincerely. Communication is key in many relationships and a soccer team is no exception.
Some also wonder if Luis Enrique could hold a grudge against Ousmane Dembele to the point of sanctioning him, like before Arsenal last season. PSG made sure to assure L'Equipe that the two situations were not comparable and that the Golden Ball would therefore not be sanctioned sportingly after his comments. His presence in the starting 11 at Louis II is however not totally guaranteed as he reportedly came out with minor discomfort Friday according to the sports outlet.
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