Ousmane Dembele shone in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Athletic Club, narrowing the gap to three points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
After contributing to three goals and scoring one at Camp Nou, Dembele closed the gap between him and Messi in terms of the number of assists so far this season.
Aside from Dembele, in the game between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club which ended 4-0 in favour of Barca, Sergi Roberto, Ferran Torres, and Robert Lewandowski all contributed goals.
Ernesto Valverde, meanwhile, had a disappointing return to Barcelona, and despite the fact that his club is currently 6th in the standings, they have gone four games without a victory.
Dembele, who started the scoring and then assisted in the other three goals, received one of the greatest applauses of the evening. When he was substituted with young Pablo Torre, who was unveiled for his LaLiga debut, he received a standing ovation.
Dembele seems to be in need of such a performance. He has consistently been seen as a key component of Xavi’s preferred assault alongside Lewandowski.
Recent performances, meanwhile, had begun to raise some questions about that, or at the very least put some pressure on the French striker.
Recently, even Xavi said that Dembele still needs to get better at making decisions.
Against Athletic, Dembele most definitely got better. He set up Roberto, Lewandowski, Torres, and then finished the rout with his goal, his first-ever header while wearing Barca colors.
He currently has four goals and seven assists in all competitions this season, and in this form, he may be unstoppable in subsequent games.
Dembele was on the spotlight last weekend because he contributed to all four goals, but Alejandro Balde, Barca’s left back, too deserves recognition. The 19-year-old is continually improving.
Ousmane Dembele
Masour Ousmane Dembélé, a French professional football player who competes for both the France national team and La Liga club Barcelona, was born on May 15, 1997. He plays as a winger.
He competed at the UEFA Euro 2020 and was a member of the France team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Lionel Messi
A forward for Ligue 1 team Paris Saint-Germain and captain of Argentina’s national team, Lionel Andrés Messi was born in Argentina on June 24, 1987.
Messi, who is recognized as one of the all-time best players, has a record seven Ballon d’Or victories, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020, he was selected for the Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
Dembele v Messi this season
With a total of 32 shots on goal, Lionel Messi has six goals. A 63% goal conversion rate is the effect of this. He had forty good opportunities in all.
On the other hand, Ousmane Dembele has three goals and ten shots on goal overall. A 38% goal conversion rate is the effect of this. He had a total of 8 good opportunities.
Regarding his passing and playmaking abilities, Lionel Messi has a total of 49 chances created, 54 important passes (passes that result in a shot on goal), and 19 assists in 2022.
Ousmane Dembele has generated a total of 28 crucial passes, 16 key assists, and 16 overall assists in 2022.
For passes into the box, Lionel Messi has a completion rate of 67%. For passes into the box, Ousmane Dembele has a completion rate of 53%.
