Former Paris Saint-Germain player Jerome Rothen has criticised the public support given to Ousmane Dembele by France manager Zinedine Zidane and Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique, saying the forward’s performances at the start of the season have fallen well below expectations.
Dembele has faced criticism after a difficult opening to the campaign, despite both managers insisting there were positives in his performances.
Following France’s 1-1 draw with Italy, Zidane defended his attacking player and his team selection.
“I found him good in the two matches he started. I am satisfied with what he is doing on the pitch,” Zidane said. “Ousmane does what Ousmane does. He moves a lot and often leaves his position, and that is what matters to us.
“We often look at the goals, but I see things differently. I do not have much to criticise him for.”
Luis Enrique adopted a similar stance during his news conference on Friday, describing Dembele as outstanding.
“For me, he was brilliant as usual,” said the Paris Saint-Germain manager. “He is a different player. You can pay for your ticket with complete peace of mind to watch him play.
“He is always willing to show for the ball, shoot and link up with his team-mates. He was very good.”
Rothen, speaking on French radio station RMC, rejected what he viewed as excessive protection of the player.
“We are talking about Zidane making statements saying: ‘It was good. There was no problem. Even the full-backs were good.’ No, it was not that good,” Rothen said.
“There were things that worked and things that did not. We must simply be fair. He is pushing himself to say positive things like that, and there is no problem with that.”
Rothen argued that Dembele did not need reassurance from either of his managers.
“When you are a player like Ousmane Dembele, do you think he needs to hear that his national-team manager is satisfied and that Luis Enrique finds him brilliant?” he said.
“Clearly, Ousmane is struggling with many things at the moment. We have to admit that his start to the season with Paris Saint-Germain has been poor and has not matched his talent.
“His four matches with France have also been nowhere near the level of what he is capable of. He is, after all, the Ballon d’Or winner.”
Rothen added that the managers could acknowledge the weaknesses without damaging Dembele.
“If Luis Enrique or Zinedine Zidane said: ‘He played, there were positive things and things that did not work, but we will correct them at the next international gathering,’ would that be dangerous?” he asked. “Stop sending messages aimed at protecting players. What are you protecting?”
Support for Luis Enrique
Former France midfielder Emmanuel Petit said he completely understood Luis Enrique’s approach.
“That is one of the responsibilities of managers at the very highest level,” Petit said. “A manager should never attack his player publicly, because that gives the whole press ammunition, unless the player repeatedly produces poor performances or behaves badly in the dressing room.”
Former goalkeeper Benoit Costil also believed Luis Enrique could not publicly dismantle Dembele after his displays for France.
“We are in October, all the important fixtures are approaching, and with the current discussions around the Ballon d’Or, Luis Enrique is playing on that,” Costil said.
