Luis Enrique Defends Ousmane Dembele After Difficult International Break

When asked about Ousmane Dembélé's complicated international break, PSG head coach Luis Enrique once again went against the grain.

“In agreement with the coach and the sporting director, Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes are being given a period of rest. They will resume training on Saturday, October 10th, and Sunday, October 11th, respectively,” announced the Parisian club on Thursday.

On Saturday, for the match against Le Mans, Paris Saint-Germain will therefore play without their number 10. Rested after a three-week international break, Ousmane Dembélé (29) clearly needs a break.

On paper, the French international (71 caps, 13 goals) was Zinédine Zidane's second most-used player, behind Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix, with 262 minutes of playing time out of a possible 360. However, some might say "Dembouz" needs a break after his difficult performances for Les Bleus.

Repositioned in the center against Turkey (1-0), at the expense of Kylian Mbappé, who was sent back to his preferred left wing, and Italy (1-1), before being placed on the right wing against Belgium (4-1), the native of Vernon was unanimously singled out by the press as one of the big losers of the last gathering of the French team.

His last match against the Red Devils at the Stade de France rather aptly illustrated his performance. On the pitch, Dembélé was tireless: he pressed and made numerous runs to create space for his attacking teammates, but he failed to make a decisive impact.

Michael Olise's explosive introduction on the right wing only reinforced this impression. But this afternoon, on the eve of the Parisian side's return to the Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique defended his star striker.

“I have to say I disagree. For me, he was brilliant as usual. He’s a different kind of player. You can buy your ticket without hesitation to go see Ousmane in a stadium. He’s always there to make an impact, to score. He was very good. After this break, we thought individually, and we all decided together that Nuno and Ousmane need rest for the upcoming matches. It’s normal; you have to get used to it because it will be something typical this season.”