Dembélé’s redemption | The mail

Ousmane Dembélé took the first step this Sunday to earn a pardon from the Camp Nou. The French footballer has decided to turn a deaf ear to the continuous whistles from his fans and speak where he knows best, on the pitch. Against Athletic he played 23 minutes and signed an express display that turned a game that seemed to get stuck at times upside down. In that interval of time he scored the goal that closed the clash with a shot to the top corner, distributed two luxury assists to Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay and reopened the melon of his renewal again.

«He works very well and that is why I defend him. I see many conditions. To play left, right, to score goals and to give passes. I already said in my presentation that, well worked, he can be the best in his position. I think he can do this in every game », said Xavi after the game against Athletic in relation to Dembélé’s performance. His words are those of a technician who knows that he has a real plunger in the figure of the Frenchman. The former Borussia Dortmund player entered and it only took him six minutes to break up a game that gradually became more complex for the Catalans. A feint, a sprint and a whip to the squad. That was the catalog that the ‘7’ took out in a house-brand play that made the Catalan coach breathe a sigh of relief and the Barça fans outlined a “how good it is sometimes”.

That goal was the first step to silence a new whistle from the Camp Nou. Dembélé hugged his teammates and Xavi in ​​a gesture of unity that went through the 69,000 people who were summoned against Athletic. From there, a cyclone. The ‘Mosquito’ shook Balenziaga one on one as many times as he wanted and distributed two golden assists so that Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay rounded off a win in which the spotlight turned to a footballer who was often intermittent but seemed that little by little finds its place in the eleven culé.

locker room support

Dembélé’s great performance against Athletic is one more step towards forgiveness from the Camp Nou. The heavyweights of the locker room have insisted since the end of the winter market that the continuous whistles to the footballer do not favor the team. “I ask the crowd to please stop whistling for Dembélé,” said Xavi after the clash against Atlético, while Gerard Piqué redoubled that speech a week later after the Europa League puncture against Napoli. “Whistles are distracting, we need the support of the fans during games,” said the center-back in one more example that the objective is to leave behind the schism caused by the player’s non-renewal. The next to wipe the slate clean could be a Camp Nou that, against Marcelino García Toral’s men, has already realized how important a resource like Mosquito’s can be in order to meet the objectives that remain for Barça this season.

The exhibition against Athletic also brought with it a debate that seemed settled in recent weeks, that of the renewal. Both Xavi and Jordi Cruyff were asked at the end of the clash and both surprised by leaving an open door that until then seemed closed. “He ends his contract, but in football nothing can be ruled out. It depends on him and the club, “said the Tarrasa coach in statements that make clear what the coach’s intention is. Jordi Cruyff, Barcelona’s sports advisor, cleared balls out on the renewal, but influenced the commitment shown by Dembélé. “When he is required, he is there. Today he has entered and has made the difference with a great goal. He has had a dream entrance », he sentenced.