Ousmane Dembélé’s (28) comments in the wake of Paris Saint-Germain’s defeat to Stade Rennais on Friday (3-1) have caused plenty of noise.
The defeat to Rennes would ultimately see PSG lose top spot in Ligue 1, with RC Lens beating Paris FC (5-0) the next day to usurp them. Dembélé, post-match, was critical of attitudes. “Above all, we have to play for Paris Saint-Germain to win matches because, if we play alone on the pitch, that won’t work. Last year, we put the club above everything else, before thinking about ourselves. We need to rediscover that. We have to play for the club first and foremost before thinking about ourselves,” said the Ballon d’Or winner in his post-match interview with Ligue 1 Plus.
Those comments elicited a strong response from PSG manager Luis Enrique. “I won’t allow any player to be above the club. That is clear. I won’t allow any player to think he is more important than the club,” said the Spaniard.
Understandably, on the eve of Les Parisiens’ UEFA Champions League encounter against AS Monaco, Dembélé’s comments were still a topic of discussion. It is a topic broached by João Neves. “The atmosphere is good in the dressing room. The players are confident, the mood is good and we are ready for tomorrow. I think Ousmane already spoke about it. But I think what he wanted to stress was what we did last year, playing as a team in a collective way. It is one of PSG’s main strengths and we are showing it in every match through how we play. I think that is what he wanted to highlight,” said the Portugal international.
He did, however, add, “When we have something to say to certain players, we say it to their face.” On Dembélé’s comments post-Rennes, Luis Enrique said, “There is always noise around PSG, and you have to accept it […] we are used to it.”
