“I’m too generous, I’m always looking for the pass”: Can striker Ousmane Dembélé become PSG’s lethal weapon ?

Ousmane Dembélé va-t-il faire oublier Kylian Mbappé ? MAXPPP – julien mattia

À l’absence de Mbappé, parti au Real, Dembélé doit prendre plus de responsabilités devant le but.

French striker Ousmane Dembélé is expected to be the leader of PSG's attack after the departure of Kylian Mbappé, saying he wants to “take his chances” more this season with the Parisian club, which hosts Brest on Saturday (9pm) on Matchday 4 of Ligue 1.

“I'm too generous, I'm always looking for the pass, people tell me I have to take my chances, whether it's the PSG coach or my teammates. This season I'm going to try to be a little more personal”, he declared Monday evening after his goal and the victory of the French team against Belgium (2-0) in the League of Nations.

Author of a goal with PSG against Le Havre on August 16 (and three assists since the start of the season), the 27-year-old player seems to want to assume his new role as leader of the Parisian attack, far from his disappointing performances at Euro-2024 in Germany. Impervious to any pressure, he dominated the match on Monday against Belgium, against whom he was decisive in both goals, while critics regularly point out his clumsiness in front of the opposing goal and his dribbling that sometimes ends in the void.

Trying your luck

“When I dribble one or two players, I lack freshness on the shots and my body rises a little. That's why I don't often target. Luis Enrique always tells me to target, to take my chance. Even if it is blocked, a teammate can touch it and score”, he analyzed, affirming to work on it a lot in training.

This was the case with the Blues: his pushed-back shot allowed his teammate at PSG Randal Kolo Muani to score (1-0, 29th). In good shape, he also created the spark on the action of his goal – the 6th in Blues in 51 selections – concluded by a superb strike (2-0, 57th). “The only recommendation for Ousmane (Dembélé) and all the other attackers is to always look for the player best positioned in the penalty area. It seems very simple but it is not always done”, Luis Enrique explained Friday in a press conference, adding that he had been one of the "most decisive" players last season thanks to his assists.

We want to do better than last season. We have a great coach, great players

This form is good news for PSG as the departure to Real Madrid of Kylian Mbappé, author of the vast majority of Parisian goals last season, naturally forces the other attackers to be more effective. Bradley Barcola, 4 goals in 3 L1 matches, has already started to fill the void left by Mbappé but at 22, he still seems young to be the only one responsible for PSG's offensive efficiency.

Inconsistent scorer

While Gonçalo Ramos has seriously injured his ankle and Randal Kolo Muani still does not have the confidence of Luis Enrique to be a starter, Ousmane Dembélé has all the cards in hand to become the offensive star. To do so, he will have to improve on his statistics from the previous season: 17 assists but only 7 goals.

When he arrived in Paris last year, he waited until the 13th matchday to score in Ligue 1 and the quarter-finals against Barcelona in the Champions League. “We want to do better than last season. We have a great coach, great players. We play good football, we will give everything to do better than last season”, he insisted, as PSG begins its C1 campaign next Wednesday against Girona at the Parc des Princes.