PSG coach leaves Ousmane Dembele out of UCL x Arsenal team

Paris Saint-Germain visits Arsenal on Tuesday, at the Emirates Stadium, in what looks to be the most attractive game of the second round of the Champions League. The visitors arrive in London without one of their main attacking players: Ousmane Dembélé.

In a surprising decision, coach Luis Enrique removed Dembélé from the traveling squad. The Spanish coach has not been afraid to be ruthless with his stars since arriving in Paris and it seems this is yet another example of how he imposes his authority.

Rumors began to circulate about an apparent argument between Dembélé and Enrique following PSG’s 3-1 win over Rennes in Ligue 1 on Friday. However, Enrique denied any dispute with the player and explained the reason for the Frenchman’s exclusion.

“There was no discussion between the player and me, that is totally false, that is a lie,” Enrique told reporters at his UCL pre-match press conference.

“There is a problem with the player (Dembélé) and his obligations to the team, that’s it. If someone seriously fails to fulfill the obligations that the team has, that tells me that they are not prepared. , that’s the decision.”

Dembélé has been an important part of PSG this season. He has scored four goals in six league games, already surpassing the goals total scored in his first season in Ligue 1 with Les Parisiens. The dynamic 27-year-old winger seemed the natural replacement to become the experienced star leading PSG’s attack following Kylian Mbappe’s departure to Real Madrid.

Now, Enrique’s team travels to north London having to figure out how to mount the attack in Dembélé’s absence. Enrique may be tempted to give 19-year-old Désiré Doué a chance as a winger given he already made his Champions League debut in the 1-0 win over Girona. However, the most likely approach would be to play Randal Kolo Muani as the main striker, allowing Lee Kang-in to move to the right wing with Bradley Barcola on the left.

PSG have one of the toughest league stage challenges in the Champions League. Arsenal is the biggest test yet, with Mikel Arteta’s side looking for their first Champions League win of the season. Depending on the result, Enrique could be seen as a mad genius, or he will be heavily questioned and criticized for his decision to leave such an important player out of a game of this magnitude.

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