Here’s why Ousmane Dembele must play a key role this season for Barcelona

Image result for ousmane dembele

It was only last year when Barcelona made a certain 20-year-old fresh-faced Ousmane Dembele the second most expensive footballer in history after paying Borussia Dortmund £135.5m for his services. It was a gargantuan step up for the talented French winger who just 12 months earlier was plying his trade with Nantes in Ligue 1. The move was largely unexpected, and Dembele must have felt the shock as much as the rest of us, failing to control his nerves in an embarrassing unveil at the Camp Nou where he failed to execute even the most basic of ‘kick-ups’.

The injury cost him three months on the sideline, while another injury setback in January meant that Dembele ended his first full season at Camp Nou without the fans truly witnessing the best of his abilities. Last season ended with doubts cast over his participation at the World Cup, although he ultimately partook in France’s winning effort albeit with a limited contribution.

The summer arrival of Malcom for £36.5m from Bordeaux and Coutinho’s club record signing from Liverpool for £142m last January further pushed Dembele down the pecking order, and there were strong indications that Barcelona were willing to count their losses and ship him off from the club. Dembele reportedly expressed his displeasure at the club’s decision to sign Malcom, and his agent suggested his client would leave Barcelona, but Ernesto Valverde expressed his desire to work with Dembele, and a change in the winger’s situation was experienced.

Dembele has kicked off the season in spectacular fashion, scoring the winning goal of Barcelona’s 2-1 Super Cup victory over Sevilla in Morocco, and played for 75 minutes before being replaced by new signing Arthur to a standing ovation in Barcelona’s La Liga opening day 3-0 victory over Alaves at Camp Nou.

He was handed another start by Valverde on matchday 2 away to Real Valladolid, and repaid his coach’s faith by scoring the winner after a beautifully placed finish off a headed cutback by Sergi Roberto in Barcelona’s 1-0 victory. The indications are there that Dembele could play a starring role this season, and here are three reasons why Valverde should place more responsibility on Dembele’s young shoulders.

The hunger to prove his mettle

Barcelona is unarguably one of the biggest clubs in the world, possessing numerous world class players who are among the best in their respective positions.

With 90 major trophies won, FC Barcelona is the most successful club in European footballing history, and all the historical records attached to the club ensures that any player who proves himself with the Blaugrana is guaranteed legendary status in the annals of football.

2 He is a viable alternative for goals

In Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Barcelona has two of the most lethal forwards ever seen, and the pair combined with Neymar to form the deadly ‘MSN’ trio scoring a staggering 250 goals in 299 appearances between them in all competitions during the three years they spent together.

Neymar’s world record transfer to PSG in August 2017 broke up the triumvirate, and this had a telling effect on Barcelona, as the Brazilian is one of the most lethal attacking threats in the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bli28GiFHJU/?taken-by=odembelefr

The club’s goals department took an expected hit with Neymar’s departure, as the Camp Nou outfit scored just 99 La Liga goals last term compared to the 116 goals scored in Neymar’s last season at the club in 2017.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *