Dembélé sparks row, Luis Enrique moves to calm it after PSG’s 3-1 defeat at Rennes | OneFootball

Ousmane Dembélé’s blunt remarks about individualism after Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-1 loss at Rennes stirred tension, with Luis Enrique attempting to defuse matters. According to L'Équipe, the head coach sought to cool the fallout rather than escalate it.

Five days earlier, after a 5-0 win over OM, Dembélé’s message was bullish and aimed at rivals. In Rennes, his words were directed at the dressing room, repeating in a 73-second interview that playing for the club must come before self-interest. This came in a season already minus the Coupe de France, with Lens pressing in the league.

Speaking in Spanish to avoid confusion, Luis Enrique said players’ post-match comments carry no weight, stressed that no one is above the club and underlined that he alone is responsible for the team. He linked Dembélé’s tone to frustration after a match in which PSG posted 3.62 expected goals, and internally there was insistence he was minimising consequences rather than reprimanding his winger.

It remained unclear who Dembélé had in mind. Désiré Doué was wasteful in front of goal yet created a clear chance for Dembélé early in the second half on 50 minutes, while Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia also struggled. The frustration could have been aimed more broadly.

Dembélé did not return to the microphones. Vitinha, the only PSG player to stop, said they are the same side and will sort issues internally, adding that he does not believe anyone is thinking too much about themselves.

If, as Luis Enrique says, PSG are hitting their best moment, a Champions League play-off against Monaco arrives quickly, first leg on Tuesday, return on 25 February, and this was not ideal preparation.

Source: L'Équipe