France World Cup legend Marcel Desailly believes that the best is yet to come from Ousmane Dembele at this tournament. The PSG star, who had never scored in a major international competition before, now has four goals and is in contention for the Golden Boot, trailing teammates Kylian Mbappe and Argentina's Lionel Messi by two goals.
Dembele's Goal-Scoring Form
Dembele opened his account in France's 3-0 victory over Iraq, then scored a first-half hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Norway in the final group match. Despite his impressive tally, Desailly, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, insists there is room for improvement.
“Yes, I think Ousmane Dembélé can get even better,” Desailly said. “He hasn’t been perfect at this tournament, you saw that in the match against Senegal, where I thought he played with some difficulty, but it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who struggled. Once we readjusted for the second half, we were much better and so was Dembele.”
Desailly's Analysis of France's Performance
Desailly praised France's performance against Norway, noting that despite Norway coach Ståle Solbakken resting several players, France showed great potential. “Against Norway, even though the coach Ståle Solbakken decided to rest six or seven players, France were magnificent. You can only beat the opponent you play, but France showed great potential, great desire, and great chemistry – everything flowed in that game.”
France will face Paraguay in their round-of-16 tie in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Desailly wants to see Dembele raise his game further. “I would like to see Dembele lift his level a little bit, I would like to see him taking on his opponent much more. His understanding with his teammates is absolutely incredible. He can do more. He can definitely do more now that he has the sweetness in his mouth of playing for France as a winger rather than as a false nine like he does for PSG.”
Dembele's Role and Potential
Desailly highlighted the adjustment Dembele has made in his role for France. “Because of his form and his status, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to accept the idea that he should play as a winger again and, in many ways, letting his captain Kylian Mbappé take all the rewards. He’s in place in his new role, he can for sure do more. Barcelona took him because he was an amazing winger. They paid 150 million Euros for him. He’s an amazing winger. Both feet. As a defender, you don’t know how to mark him; it’s almost impossible. Dembele can become even more clinical if he has the desire and the mental focus to do so.”
