PSG coach Luis Enrique: “Ousmane Dembélé is the biggest game changer in world soccer”

Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League difficulties have been well documented over the years, with the French team only once coming close to living out their dream of winning the tournament when they lost in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich. And if Kylian Mbappé and Co are to finally lift the trophy in 2023-24, they’ll have to do it the hard way after being drawn in the so-called “Group of Death” alongside Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle United.

PSG could qualify for round of 16 with win over Newcastle

With two matches left to play, all is left to play for in Group F, although a victory on matchday five will send PSG into the round of 16 provided Dortmund also win or draw. The Ligue 1 champions host Newcastle at the Parc des Princes, where they have already dispatched German and the Italian opposition by an aggregate score of 5-0.

Luis Enrique’s side have, in fact, won their last six home games in a row, scoring 20 goals in the process, with the former Barcelona head coach singling Mbappé's teammate Ousmane Dembélé out for special praise in his pre-match press conference before the game against The Magpies. That despite the winger scoring only once in 16 appearances since moving to the French capital in the summer. Not that that matters to the Spaniard.

Dembélé “doesn’t care about mistakes or being criticised”

“I’ve known Dembélé since I was at Barcelona. I wanted to sign him when he was still at Rennes but he didn’t want to move to Barça because there was a lot of competition for places. I’ve known him for many years and, in my opinion, he’s a different type of player to anyone else.

“Now I know him personally too. He doesn’t care if he makes a mistake, he doesn’t care if he gets criticised. It’s a big opportunity being able to coach him.

“I think he’s a different player to the one that was at Barcelona because we want him to play both out wide and infield so he can create.

“The biggest game-changer in world soccer”

“From the moment he arrived, people have been obsessed with whether he scores goals or not, but when he has the ball, that frees up one or two other players when we are attacking because of his ability to attack spaces.

“I have absolutely no doubt he is the biggest Game-changer in world soccer.”

Despite not having found the net in 2023-24, Dembélé has set up five goals for his teammates, all in Ligue 1, including three in his last three matches.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Russell Westbrook signs with Clippers: Former MVP lands back in L.A. after Lakers trade, per report

Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers once he finalizes a buyout with the Utah Jazz, his agent told Adrian Wojnarowski. Westbrook was trade d from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Jazz as part of a three-team deal ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month. In 52 games for the Lakers this season, the majority of them off the bench, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. But while his counting stats were still solid, his defense, inefficient shooting (41.7 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from 3-point land) and poor fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis were once again a problem for the Lakers. There was also the fact that James was publicly lobbying for the team to trade him, which did not help the vibes in the locker room.  But despite some of Westbrook's issues with the Lakers, and his declining play in recent years, the Clipp...
Read more

Taylor Swift Opens Up About Her Mom’s New Battle With Cancer

Image
If  Taylor Swift ’s song “Soon You’ll Get Better” broke your heart the first time you listened to it, have the tissues ready because the song has a whole new meaning. Taylor has opened up about her mom, Andrea’s, battles with breast cancer over the years, but now it seems as though she’s got a new battle to fight after a new diagnosis from her doctors. Taylor revealed in an interview that her mom has a brain tumor. In a heartbreaking interview with Variety, Taylor revealed that while her mother was undergoing another round of chemotherapy, doctors found a tumor in her brain. “She was going through chemo, and that’s a hard enough thing for a person to go through,” Taylor told the outlet. “While she was going through treatment, they found a brain tumor.” Taylor spoke about how this has hit her family hard, especially since her mother has already gone through treatment for breast cancer twice. “The symptoms of what a person goe...
Read more

Bruno Fernandes names Portugal teammate he wants Man Utd to sign

Image
Bruno Fernandes has encouraged Manchester United to act on their interest in Benfica midfielder Joao Neves. United have regularly scouted the 19-year-old and were in attendance as he shone in Benfica's recent 2-1 win over Sporting CP, watching the teenager alongside scouts from both Arsenal and Liverpool. Neves' excellent form this season has seen him rewarded with two caps for the Portugal national team. The youngster came off the bench for the final five minutes of October's 5-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina and saw another three minutes against Liechtenstein on Thursday. Asked about United's interest in Neves, Fernandes admitted he'd be keen to see the teenager join him at Old Trafford but only if manager Erik ten Hag sees a future for him. "It has to be the Manchester United coach who says whether he has a place in the team or not," Fernandes told a press conference. "He's a great player, I don't know if he would have a place or not. I...
Read more