In an interview with L’Équipe, Le Parisien, and Le Figaro, Didier Deschamps discussed the recent form of Ousmane Dembélé, who has been shining in recent weeks with PSG.
The new version of Ousmane Dembélé is impressing Didier Deschamps. The player has been scoring goals consistently at PSG, a great sign for the French national team. “He’s always been an offensive, creative player. He’s much more decisive for specific reasons. The central position suits him at PSG, as he’s closer to the goal, makes fewer efforts, and is more lucid, more efficient. But he is capable of playing in multiple positions,” the coach explained.
Would Deschamps take inspiration from Luis Enrique and move Dembélé into a central role for the national team? Since Olivier Giroud’s retirement, France has struggled to find a regular number 9. But according to Deschamps, that’s not an option.
Dembélé not playing as a striker for France
“At Paris, he starts in a central position, but if you take photos at ten different moments, he’ll be on the left, in the middle, and everywhere. Yes, he is finishing the chances, but with us, if he hadn’t been injured in the last camp, he would have certainly played in a different position. Also, remember that at Dortmund (2016-2017), he sometimes played in a midfield trio, not as a central forward.”
“Overall, he hasn’t always been sharp in front of goal during matches, but in finishing drills after training, he’s always been very precise because he’s relaxed and has two good feet. But today, you’re not going to tell me that Ousmane is a center-forward. He’s in a central position, but he finds himself scoring from those areas. He scored his first goal at Brest (3-0, Tuesday) coming from the right and finishing with his left foot—this is a situation he often finds himself in,” concluded Deschamps, who prefers Randal Kolo Muani for the striker role. Kolo Muani, another PSG player, was uncertain before his loan to Juventus.
