Ousmane Dembélé criticism tests PSG unity before Monaco play-off | OneFootball

Ousmane Dembélé’s on-air frustration about individualism after PSG’s 1-3 defeat at Rennes on Friday prompted an internal and media response to tighten the group before Tuesday’s Champions League play-off first leg at Monaco.

According to L'Équipe, his remarks at a club where messaging is tightly managed sparked speculation. Luis Enrique moved to cool the situation, addressing the media in Spanish to soften the impact and underline that only he and the hierarchy pass judgement.

The squad held its routine debrief in Poissy on Saturday morning, the message being to protect the group and preserve unity after a defeat. The club considers the matter closed. With assists valued as highly as goals in bonuses, the suggestion that excess individualism hurt the team was not well received, with no obvious moment when a pass should have been preferred.

If there was a shortcoming, it was finishing, with notable moments including a one-on-one missed by Désiré Doué on 13 minutes, a golden chance Dembélé mishandled on 50, then opportunities spurned by Bradley Barcola on 77 and Gonçalo Ramos on 79 as PSG chased 2-2.

Tension flickered at Roazhon Park, with Vitinha berating Dembélé for not chasing a through ball, and irritation shown towards Joao Neves after a poor transition. Dembélé is said to have explained privately he did not single anyone out. While outside attention turned to Doué, he would not have used the media to target a player close to him and represented by the same agents.

The dressing room is not expected to hold it against him. Last season he was punished after a flare-up following a 3-1 win over Rennes on 27 September 2024 and was omitted for the 0-2 defeat at Arsenal four days later. Internally, the two situations are not seen as comparable, though a minor discomfort when he went off at Rennes could affect whether he starts at Stade Louis-II.

Source: L'Équipe