PSG coach Luis Enrique slams ‘nugatory’ Ousmane Dembélé take

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique stated he is not going to enable any participant to be larger than the membership forward of Tuesday’s Champions League knockout part playoff first leg towards AS Monaco.

The Spaniard was responding to feedback made by Ousmane Dembélé within the wake of Friday’s shock 3-1 Ligue 1 defeat to Rennes, which noticed the champions lose high spot within the desk to Lens.

Dembélé appeared to accuse his teammates of being too individualistic and the workforce of getting misplaced a few of what helped flip them into European champions final season, saying: “If we play as people, it will not work.”

Nonetheless, his supervisor hit again on the recommendations and stated: “The gamers’ statements after the match are nugatory. Completely nugatory.

“[So] are the coaches’ statements, however the gamers’ statements are nugatory. I am not going to reply any query from a participant, any response from a participant.

“I’ll by no means enable any participant to be above the membership. So, it is clear. I’m the particular person accountable for the workforce.

“I cannot enable any participant to assume that he’s extra necessary than the membership. Not me, not the sporting director, not the president.

“So these statements are nugatory. They’re the results of anger after a match, and I believe that is clear. We have now nothing to lose.”

The champions had been seeking to open up a four-point hole on the high of the desk with victory over Rennes however, regardless of dominating the ball, they slipped to a shock defeat to their managerless opponents.

They fell behind Musa Al-Taamari’s first-half strike earlier than Esteban Lepaul doubled Rennes’ lead within the 69th minute.

Dembélé pulled it again to 2-1 towards his previous facet however Rennes would have the ultimate say, Breel Embolo scoring to make it three.

After the sport, the Ballon d’Or winner hit out at unnamed members of the squad, saying: “Above all, we’ve got to play for PSG in an effort to win matches.

“If we play as people on the pitch, it will not work; we can’t win the titles we wish.

“Final season, we put the membership at the beginning else, earlier than serious about ourselves. We have now to rediscover that, particularly in these matches.

“We all know we’re within the second half of the season. And Paris St Germain has to return first, not particular person gamers.”

The workforce face Monaco over two legs searching for a spot within the Champions League final 16 having didn’t construct on their success in profitable final season’s competitors, ending eleventh within the desk within the league part.

Luis Enrique’s sturdy man-management has helped PSG grow to be a much more unified workforce. He made it clear that final 12 months that, in contrast to earlier seasons with stars like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, there can be no pampered gamers.

Dembélé discovered that out the laborious method, when Luis Enrique dropped him for a Champions League recreation at Arsenal early final season on disciplinary grounds.

It labored as Dembélé went on to attain 35 objectives total and assist PSG win the Champions League for the primary time. PSG’s emergence to the title was largely sudden — as was Dembélé’s out of the blue prolific scoring — and the factor of shock has now gone.

Final season stretched till the Membership World Cup remaining in mid-July and noticed some PSG gamers seem in additional than 60 video games.

The workforce’s high-octane type and constant closing down calls for rather a lot. Maybe as a consequence, and with little restoration time over the summer time, the membership has been hit by accidents to key gamers all through this marketing campaign.

Dembélé has not been in a position to type the identical understanding in assault with Désiré Doué, with each gamers being injured twice.

PSG reached the final 16 final season by beating French facet Brest 10-0 over two legs. It guarantees to be a tougher take a look at towards Monaco, who beat PSG earlier this season in Ligue 1 and are enhancing in protection, with 4 clear sheets previously six video games.

Coach Sébastien Pocognoli is ready on the health of attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, midfielder Lamine Camara and goal-scoring winger Ansu Fati, however insisted that the end result of the tie wouldn’t dictate the success of his workforce’s season.

“For me, the largest problem is having a profitable season,” Pocognoli stated. “[Tuesday’s] match is a part of that goal. There isn’t any further strain or expectation surrounding this recreation, even when we’re going through PSG within the Champions League.

“They’re the defending champions, wanting to show themselves once more this 12 months and retain the trophy. The fact is that we’re the underdogs, and we’ve got to embrace that standing and do the whole lot we will to offer ourselves an actual likelihood of qualifying.”

Info from PA and The Related Press was used on this report.