In Ousmane Dembélé’s vocabulary, the word “doubt” does not exist. Despite only three assists in eleven games since the start of the season, the French international does not give off any signs of a boy lacking confidence. “I am someone who has a lot of confidence and who will always try. My role is to dribble, to create chances. It’s a risky game, you can’t succeed at everything,” he confided this Tuesday in the columns of The Team, explaining that he did not judge himself on numbers but on the quality of his performances.
On his right side, the ex-Barcelona player has again done wonders without increasing his statistics. And this Tuesday evening, on the pitch at San Siro, this constant is above all the result of a lack of success on the part of its partners.
Against AC Milan, “Ous” confirmed his rise in power seen during his last outings and in particular against Montpellier (3-0), Friday evening at the Parc des Princes: dribbling, percussion and repeated incursions which hurt. Proof that he does not procrastinate, his partners constantly looked for him in the short game or on several reversals and it was on his right flank that the Parisian game leaned in the first period. As if the spark could only come from him.
Dembélé stopped and Paris went out
From the first moments of the match, he offered a first goal ball to Randal Kolo Muani, who after getting rid of Malick Thiaw’s marking, missed his recovery (5th). Seven minutes later, Dembélé overflowed again to deliver a first strike easily captured by Maignan (12th).
But the native of Évreux did not stop there and gave another delicious ball for Mbappé, who alone against the Blues goalkeeper procrastinated and lost his duel (15th). At the entrance to the area, slightly left axis, “Dembouz” received a ball from Hakimi (after an action he had initiated) and found the bar on a licked shot that Maignan watched pass, largely beaten (27th). Leggy and hot as rarely, the Habs pounded the defense with their rushes and Théo Hernandez like Yunus Musah experienced a first period in hell before regaining the upper hand in the second act.
Monitored and regularly taken in pairs, Dembélé then lost precision, no longer delivering his passes which hurt so badly or no longer executing his runs with the ball which destabilized the Milan defenders. Powerless like the whole of a PSG lacking inspiration and which will ultimately only have one clear opportunity after the break via Kang-in Lee (89th). When Dembélé stopped, all of Paris went dark.
