Luis Enrique and Dembélé highlight the crisis threatening PSG

BarcelonaFrom winning the Ballon d'Or to being singled out by Luis Enrique Martínez. Ousmane Dembélé has gone from having his best season yet to showing a very different side this year. Not only in his playing style, but also in his attitude, and this is being reflected in the recent results of his club, Paris Saint-Germain. The French team is having a very difficult start to the season. It's practically the same players, the same coach, the same system, and the same ideas, but not the same results. They're experiencing a real rollercoaster ride. In one match they win by a landslide, in the next they win by a single goal, and in the following one they lose. It's hard to understand how things have changed so much when the core of the team is the same. This inconsistent performance is fueling rumors of a crisis in the French press.

PSG has dominated Ligue 1 for the last decade. Only Monaco and Lille have slightly challenged their reign of eight championships out of ten seasons. And this year, the historic Lens, leading by a single point, has set its sights on doing the same. Things aren't going much better in the Champions League. Four wins, two draws, and two losses: this has been the record of the Franco-Qatari side in the league phase. For this reason, they didn't finish among the top eight and will have to play in the play-off to advance to the round of 16. Their opponent will be Monaco, this Tuesday (9 pm). It's all at home.

PSG will arrive at the first leg of the tie after losing 3-1 away to Rennes. The only positive note in such a lackluster match was Ousmane Dembélé, who scored a goal. It was he who spoke in a post-match interview and made some statements that revealed there is considerable tension in the locker room. "Last season we prioritized the club before ourselves. I think we need to get back to that, especially in matches like this," the winger declared, showing his dissatisfaction with his teammates' attitudes but without singling anyone out. "We're in the second half of the season and PSG must come first, not individual players. We have to play for the club instead of thinking about ourselves," he insisted.

Luis Enrique wasted no time in responding to these comments. In the post-match press conference following the game against Rennes, the Asturian coach was clear and downplayed the statements Dembélé had made in the heat of the moment. "I'm not going to allow any player to think he's more important than the club. Not me, not the sporting director, not the president, not the club. These statements are worthless. They're the result of anger after a match, and I think that's clear. We have nothing to lose. Players' statements after the game are worthless. Absolutely worthless. But coaches' statements are worthless too. I won't answer any questions or responses from any player. I will never allow any player to put themselves above the club. Let that be clear. I am responsible for the team," he said. He closed the press conference reiterating that he didn't care about Dembélé's statements and that no one is above PSG, the reigning European champions, who are not leading the league and were eliminated from the French Cup.