Following his record breaking signing, the French International have struggled to make his mark at FC Barcelona. Will this be the season where Barca's trust in him start to pay-off?.
Ousmane Dembélé was signed with lots of hope and hype. At €120 Million he was the costliest signing and remained so until Barcelona got hold of Brazilian Coutinho. One is left to wonder whether Barcelona would have gone for him, had they managed to sign Coutinho earlier, may be not. But who knows? Regardless of that, many who bet on soccer have started to believe that this season he will prove all the hype and hope of being the 'Most Talented Youngster' true.
Many of his detractors consider him as a failure so far. The biggest problem for Dembélé is the huge signing fee which we had to spend to get him to Barca. As I wrote at that time, the huge signing fee will be always pitched against him while considering his impact. Think about this, Neymar took a season or more before he could start making serious impact. Because of the €120 Million valuation he wasn't afforded any time for it. And that's totally unfair!
Valverde Looks to have found a Way to integrate Dembélé
Last season Valverde struggled to make use of Dembélé properly. He couldn't fit him into the starting eleven. Whenever he played, he was slotted on the right which means Messi moved as false-9 and Saurez to the left. Moving Saurez to left was a move without much sense. Also on the right he was up against a never winning battle with Lionel Messi, which means he could only remain a substitute.
This season Valverde have started Dembélé on the left instead of right. That move have helped him in sealing a place in the first eleven as of now. He have scored once and have got involved in numerous attack. The more positive factor is an up tick in his confidence and that has kind of started showing in his performances. The end product is still to be fine tuned but there is no denial that he have made a good start to the new season.
Dembélé needs to Assert his Place in team
Currently the coach's confidence is entirely with him. But soon he has to repay that back. Otherwise, there could be others he could push for his place in the eleven. When Valverde signed Malcom this season, everyone expected Dembélé position in danger. But so far the coach has kept his trust in the French International. BUt he needs to be aware of the competition behind him.
Malcom definitely will provide tight competition for Dembélé as they both occupy similar positions. Another player who could make an impact from bench is Munir El Haddadi. He had a very good season at Alaves last year and will be looking to make an impact when given a chance. His primary role will be a back up as striker, especially with no Alcacer around; but he will be aware that Dembélé's position could be up for grasp. So Dembélé needs to up the game or face being overtaken by others.
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