Deschamps defends Dembélé after subdued display against Senegal

Ousmane Dembélé failed to impress in France’s opening World Cup match against Senegal, falling well short of his usual PSG form. But manager Didier Deschamps came to his winger’s defence ahead of Les Bleus’ second group game against Iraq.

“Ousmane, you’re on his back, there’s a bone to pick…,” Deschamps told the press, fully backing the recent Ballon d’Or winner. The coach first acknowledged a difficult collective first half, attributing some of the shortcomings to Senegal’s pressing and technical errors in the final passes.

But Deschamps’ main explanation centred on Dembélé’s truncated season. “You know how many matches he’s played as a starter. Ten. He arrives with a season where he hasn’t been able to build momentum. That’s difficult for any player. When you have injuries every time… There’s no holding back, he needs to free himself a bit more obviously. I’m convinced he’ll improve,” he stressed.

Deschamps also highlighted a tactical adaptation issue: at club level, Dembélé plays without a striker ahead of him, which is not the case with France. “There are reflexes related to where Ousmane plays at his club. He has no one higher up than him, that’s not the case here. These are adjustments to find.”

Kylian Mbappé also defended his teammate, saying he had watched the match twice: “He was our best attacking player in the first half. In the second half, Michael and I were decisive, but he was important.” Mbappé also noted that Senegal defender Diouf, very active in the first half, didn’t come forward in the second — precisely because Dembélé was facing him.

The PSG player will have a chance to respond on the pitch in France’s second group game against Iraq.