Is Dembélé decisive enough or invaluable without the ball? Lizarazu settles the debate

Ousmane Dembélé’s performances in a France shirt continue to divide. On Sunday, the debate erupted live on Téléfoot l’After, pitting Giovanni Castaldi against Séverine Parlakou, before Bixente Lizarazu brought everyone together.

Castaldi opened by defending the PSG forward on his collective contribution. “Seeing how his performance was judged solely on his effectiveness, and what we forget is how essential he is without the ball, that drives me crazy,” he said. The journalist stressed the role of “pressing captain” that Dembélé fulfills, arguing that modern football too often reduced forwards to their attacking statistics.

Parlakou didn’t let the argument slide. Recalling that Dembélé had only touched five balls in the opposition box during France-Italy, she was direct: “That’s not enough for a number 9. If it’s enough for you, fine, but that’s not what I expect from a Ballon d’Or winner, the best player on the planet right now.” The exchange quickly escalated, the two journalists talking over each other.

It was Lizarazu who ultimately laid out the terms of a nuanced verdict. “I agree that he wasn’t individually effective, that he’s more effective with PSG, but in the team structure, I find him very interesting. I like the way he launches the press, it gives a tempo and a signal to the team,” explained the former international. Before adding the expected caveat: “After that, you want him to be more effective in the box because he’s a forward.”

The pundit thus partially sided with both camps: valuable collectively, insufficient individually. A verdict that reflects the persistent ambivalence surrounding the player in the national team.