PSG head coach Luis Enrique has axed out top player Ousmane Dembele from the PSG squad ahead of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League clash with Arsenal.
PSG opened their 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Girona on September 18, 2024. Gazzaniga’s 90th-minute own goal was all the French champions needed to secure victory.
Ousmane Dembele played the full 90 minutes in the match. He was also in action for the Parisians in their 3-1 Ligue 1 victory over Rennes on Friday, September 27, 2024. In the earlier Ligue 1 fixture against Reims on Saturday, September 21, 2024, he started on the bench as the team drew 1-1 with the Red and Whites.
Why Luis Enrique is suspending Ousmane Dembele?
According to French football journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Ousmane Dembele and Luis Enrique fell out after the club’s 3-1 win over Rennes.
While details of the confrontation have not been disclosed, Hawkins confirmed in his latest update that Dembele is out of the PSG travelling squad for the Champions League clash against Arsenal.
Fabrizio Romano also adds that the player was dropped from the squad due to disciplinary reasons following the reported fallout with Luis Enrique.
“Ousmane Dembélé has been dropped by Luis Enrique for the game against Arsenal!
“The decision made by the PSG manager is due to disciplinary reasons.
“Ousmane and Luis Enrique had an argument after the Rennes game and the Spanish coach decided to drop Ousmane.”
Luis Enrique’s decision to drop Dembele from the crucial Champions League tie against Arsenal underscores the Spaniard’s hardline stance on players.
Dembele has been a key player for the Parisians since he joined the club from Barcelona last season.
His move to the Ligue 1 giants coincided with the arrival of Luis Enrique as the club’s new manager. He recorded 11 goal contributions in the French top flight, helping the team to Ligue 1 triumph on his debut season.
From a terrific start to suspension for indiscipline
Ousmane Dembele was set for what could have been his best season with PSG this season. He scored on his first Ligue 1 match this season – a 4-1 away win over Le Havre.
He bagged a brace in a 3-1 victory over Brest on September 14, 2024. His last goal before the suspension came in the match against Reims on Saturday, September 21, 2024. The 27-year-old rescued a point for the club, scoring a 68th-minute equalizer to peg the hosts to a 1-1 draw.
Overall, he has scored four goals and provided three assists to fire the Ligue 1 giants to the top of the table with 16 points.
It has taken Luis Enrique more than just bravery to drop Ousmane Dembele from the team. The former Borussia Dortmund winger has been a key player for the team and was expected to play a big role in the club’s UCL clash against Arsenal.
His skills and qualities will likely be missed, especially his efficiency in attacking from the wings and taking on wing-backs.
Luis Enrique will be relying on other alternatives in place of the axed forward. A notable name in the fray is former Eintracht Frankfurt attacker and Dembele’s teammate in France’s national team Randal Kolo Muani.
Muani can play both as a center-forward and winger. He will be expected to partner Bradley Barcola and Kang-in Lee in the Parisians’ attack against Arsenal.
What is next for Ousmane Dembele after the suspension?
Notably, there is no estimated timeline for Dembele’s return to the first team following the suspension. After the Arsenal match, he could miss a succession of other games. There are suggestions the suspension will last as long as he and Luis Enrique aren’t able to reconcile.
