Despite off the pitch concerns, Dembele is hitting top gear on the pitch

At Dortmund, French international Ousmane Dembele became one of the most impressive and highly talented young forwards. Arriving from Rennes as a teenager, he only needed a year to solidify his position among the world’s most exciting youths. With a left like right foot that even leaves him confused as to what his favorite footballing foot is, Dembele combined with a distant African brother, Aubameyang, teeing up the latter more times than one and setting him up for the Bundesliga top goal scorer award in the 2016/17 season. The son of African parents, inevitably earned a precious move to Barcelona worth over 100 million euros to replace the departing Neymar. He looked the sensible option and logic argued why he could fill the big shoes.

“A game decider with the legs of youth and the composure of a patriarch nearing retirement. Suddenly, a silver lining is evidently present in the midst of Dembele’s seemingly dark clouds.”

— Dennis Takaendesa, FirstTouch Africa

Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Barcelona and PSV at Camp Nou on September 18, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Sept. 17, 2018 - Source: Alex Caparros/Getty Images Europe)

Actually, logic initially got it wrong. He wasn’t an immediate success. Injuries and the bigger club with more demanding fans seemingly got the better of him. The 2017/18 La Liga season was almost a complete fiaso for the young forward. He spent most of it on the sidelines or on Ernesto Valvedre’s bench, eventually falling out of favour in the French squad, making minimal appearances in Les Blues’ world cup winning squad. He really wasn’t living up to the Neymar standards and the arrival of Phillippe Coutinho in January from Liverpool, meant a “new Neymar” had arrived and the spotlight temporarily removed from the boy of Malian roots. It was so bad that talks of a possible move away from the Camp Nou in the summer were fueled by Arsenal supposed interest in the forward and the arrival of former Bordeaux and Brazilian young forward, Malcolm. Of course the move didn’t happen but there was more to come.

Quite recently, with the keen eye of the media on the 21-year-old still coming to terms with becoming an adult and being a global celebrity, news surfaced day in and out. Late night gaming, poor eating habits and arriving late at the training ground all became a part of the young adult’s life. He also seemed like he couldn’t care less and the once upon a time comparison between him and his age mates such as Mbappe, slowly became a distant memory.

Most recently and even more interesting, news of his off the pitch showings is yet to completely cease, but Dembele has started to show why he remains one of the most talented young forwards in the game. A last minute well taken Ousmane goal against Atletico Madrid coming from bench earned the Catalan club a precious draw at Wanda Metro Politano and the devastating run from the other half of the pitch against Tottenham in the champions league leading to the match’s opening goal resemble what the French international is becoming. A game decider with the legs of youth and the composure of a patriarch nearing retirement. Suddenly, a silver lining is evidently present in the midst of Dembele’s seemingly dark clouds.

More is surely yet come and Barcelona would be unwise to let this gem go anytime soon.

Is Dembele ready to share Messi's Barcelona "burden"?

False start

Many believed Ousmane Dembele’s first season at the Catalans would be excellent considering the hefty prize tag that came with the player’s move from former club Borussia Dortmund in 2017. He was bought by the club for a price of €147 million as a replacement for Brazilian dynamite, Neymar but life at the Camp Nou did not quite kickoff well for the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner. A combination of long term injuries as well as lack of game time were some of the reasons for the Frenchman's disappointing  first season at the club. In the summer of 2018, barely a year into his Barca career, there were already rumours linking him with a loan move away from the club, with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool vying for his signature. However all of that did not materialize and the Frenchman declared at the start of the season that he was staying put with the club.

The Usain Bolt kind of start

Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Group B match of the UEFA Champions League between FC Barcelona and PSV at Camp Nou on September 18, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.

(Sept. 17, 2018 - Source: Alex Caparros/Getty Images Europe)

Fast forward to the current 2018/19 season, all that seems to be changing. The new  La Liga campaign has started off on a high note for Dembele as he has been in the thick of things in many of his team’s first few games. In his first three games for the club this season, Dembele has scored two goals, showing the quality that he can be key in easing the pressure off Lionel Messi and Suarez in terms of scoring as well as creating goals. Although he did not get a lot of game-time in France’s ridiculously talented squad during the recent world cup, Dembele has not let that affect him as he has began the new season on a high.

Most fans believe that Dembele’s growth at the club will be enhanced by having Lionel Messi supporting him. Barca’s main man is the central point of Barca’s every move thus Dembele should aim to learn more from the little Argentine magician in terms of both his decision-making and movement around the pitch. That way he will be able to exert himself properly and increase the confidence coach Ernesto Valverde has in him. What is more more, being surrounded by a great deal of other quality players such as Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez will certainly be beneficial for “Mosquito’s” development, More so ease the pressure that came with his price tag. On his best day, Dembele can embarrass the best of wing backs with his blistering pace and endless dribbling ability, which are some of the qualities that made the club gain interest in the player.

“Fast forward to the current 2018/19 season, all that seems to be changing. The new  La Liga campaign has started off on a high note for Dembele as he has been in the thick of things in many of his team’s first few games.”

— Siphosethu Thwala, FirstTouch Africa

I personally consider Dembele to be in the top ten world’s best young players because of his raw talent. He is that type of player who has the potential to be the best player provided he gets the right mentoring and enough game time. Ernesto Valverde has been slowly throwing the Frenchman into the thick of things this season and I am sure most Barca supporters are enjoying that and would hope that they will see more of Dembele this season. After all, he is the fourth most expensive player on the planet and I am persuaded many would agree with me that Ousmane is certainly too good to rot on the bench. The 2018/2019 season seems to be the one for Dembele to finally stamp his authority and secure his place in the talented Barcelona squad.

Now more than ever

Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Presnel Kimpembe of France celebrate victory following the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final between France and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on July 15, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

(July 14, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)

Barca seems to be in kind of a renaissance with loads of talent brought in the summer such as  the 21-year-old Malcolm, Arturo Vidal, Lenglet and another Brazilian in Arthur. The old guns who carried Barcelona through many years of glory, that is the Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Pique and Messi have all moved on or are soon to depart and make way for the new. They seem to be figuring out a new style of play and Messi remains the stabilizing factor in the far from smooth transition period. Dropping seven points in the past three La Liga games against Girona, Leganes and Athletic Club, is so much unlike Barcelona. There is no better for Dembele to take some pressure over Messi and make an undisputed claim for a key role in the club that is reinventing itself.

Will he continue rising to the occasion? Should the new Barcelona be built around him? Have your say in the comment box below.

Messi plat du jour yet again

“We are all so blessed to get to watch Lionel Messi play every week”. This is a statement that I am almost forced to repeat week in and week out. It’s very similar to that of a LeBron James. For writers, it is a pleasure to talk about these generational talents. Every week is a new chance to attempt to describe the almost extraterrestrial- like skill we get to witness every single time they both lace up their shoes. Tonight was merely another example that Messi is playing a different game than the rest of us, as he lit up the Camp Nou with another vintage Champions League performance.“

Messi is now the fastest to 100 UEFA Champions League goals after a two-goal display against Chelsea in the second leg of their Round of 16 fixture. The Argentinian forward scored his 99th goal within the first three minutes of the competition; a nearly impossible goal with his right foot through the legs of Courtois. No manners from Lionel, as he seems to keep inventing new ways to disgrace goalkeepers. Even though it may have appeared a fortunate goal, I have believed for a while now that Messi is so inhuman, that the concept of luck is foreign to him. I remember the exact date when he convinced me that even his most fortunate looking piece of skill was executed intentionally, almost as if to prove he could do it. It was 16 January 2014, where, after dribbling around a set of defenders, then passed it forward into the box in front of him. I could have sworn he was giving a through ball to Cristian Tello. Rather it was to himself, before rounding the keeper and slotting it home, giving Barcelona its second goal of the game that evening, which you can relive for yourself here.

I think that his best and most vintage moment during the second leg against Chelsea came 19 minutes and 29 seconds in when Messi jumped on a mistake from Fabregas in midfield before quickly exing out two Chelsea defenders then continuing on to set up Barcelona’s second of the night through Dembele. That burst that he showed to shift the ball once around Christiansen, and then a second time around Azpilicueta, before he found himself in Chelsea’s eighteen-yard box assisting Dembele. I honestly haven’t seen this burst every week in La Liga this season. Not because he is declining physically, but rather it seems most of the time, his game is now at a level where he doesn’t need to hit top gear to impose his will on matches. 

Ray Hudson’s muse rounded out the goals, with another vintage left-footed finish, yet again megging the Belgian shot-stopper and scoring his 100th goal in Europe’s top competition. He now joins Cristiano Ronaldo as the only other player to achieve this feat. Chelsea never stood a chance tonight, and I’m sure Conte found his own way to communicate that to his men post-match.