Ousmane Dembélé

jamrock

Senior Member
Will the first team starters actually play in the CWC? Isn't it like a glorified preseason thing?

They have to start their best players according to FIFA rules for the tournament.

They're basically forcing teams to take it seriously.

Plus teams like Atleti and Madrid are already taking it seriously.
 

feggydinho

Senior Member
I know the nations league and CWC doesn't mean much.

But if yamal cooks in the nations league and dembele flops at the CWC, yamal could edge.

But I think what will stop him for winning most is the votes will be split with raphinha
That's true, but Dembele also has a UEFA Super Cup final against Spurs, PSG likely wins, and that further increases his odds.
 

MonteCuler

Well-known member
Sommer was freaked out by this guy, he screwed up every pass he made

Can't blame him tbh, the pressing was unbelievable, Dembele ran his ass off
 

Andresito

Senior Member
Staff member
That's such a weird "rule".

How do you even enforce that? :lol: :lol:

The Nations League of Club Football.
Pep actually questioned this:
"What is the strongest players? Which ones? FIFA will tell me for THEM which players are stronger than the other ones? I don’t understand that,

"We will go all the squad there. We don’t go for one game, right? So I don’t know who is the competition itself right now, but we’re not going with 11 players, we’re going with the whole squad.

"I don’t understand how the selection of players is ‘stronger’ than other ones? I know! Stronger means in-form, and maybe the strongest for them is in really, really, really bad conditions! For many reasons; personal, physical, injuries, niggles, and we’re going to play other ones. I’m not going to be told before the games which players are going to play, I will decide, for sure!"
 

serghei

Senior Member
Let's be honest, while Lamine is more decisive at all levels, it's hardly a scandal if Dembele wins it. I watched him in CL in 4-5 games and he was awesome. I've seen more unworthy CL winners than Dembele of 2024-25.

On that note, I badly want Lucho back after Flick's 3 seasons are done. A great manager and much more likeable than Pep. He proved himself immensely this season, no two ways about it really.
 

KingLeo10

Senior Member
Let's be honest, while Lamine is more decisive at all levels, it's hardly a scandal if Dembele wins it. I watched him in CL in 4-5 games and he was awesome. I've seen more unworthy CL winners than Dembele of 2024-25.

On that note, I badly want Lucho back after Flick's 3 seasons are done. A great manager and much more likeable than Pep. He proved himself immensely this season, no two ways about it really.
I like Enrique because he's not an after timer and calls it before the game. Not always right, but he's right more than he's wrong.

Some notable ones:

Called the PSG comeback: "If they can score 4, we can score more".

Called the Anfield comeback this season.

Called that his team would be unleashed after he had "total control" once Mbappe left.

Also when his teams peak, they are absolutely amazing. (1) In 14/15, we ran through PSG x 4, City x 2, AM x 4, RM x 2, Bayern x 2, Juventus with 12 W in those 15 games. (2) This season, he delivered the most 1-sided CL final ever.
 

Porque

Senior Member
Pep actually questioned this:
"What is the strongest players? Which ones? FIFA will tell me for THEM which players are stronger than the other ones? I don’t understand that,

"We will go all the squad there. We don’t go for one game, right? So I don’t know who is the competition itself right now, but we’re not going with 11 players, we’re going with the whole squad.

"I don’t understand how the selection of players is ‘stronger’ than other ones? I know! Stronger means in-form, and maybe the strongest for them is in really, really, really bad conditions! For many reasons; personal, physical, injuries, niggles, and we’re going to play other ones. I’m not going to be told before the games which players are going to play, I will decide, for sure!"

Right. So it is not the strongest, but the most marketable for the bagel munchers.

Hence giving Inter Miami a slot, and hoping Ronaldo signs for a team there.
 

Rassvet

Well-known member
Let's be honest, while Lamine is more decisive at all levels, it's hardly a scandal if Dembele wins it. I watched him in CL in 4-5 games and he was awesome. I've seen more unworthy CL winners than Dembele of 2024-25.
Yeah the bias against Dembele for ballon d'or because he doesn't play "pure football" or something is clear. It might just be motivated by the agenda against Ronaldo, but some say Ribery deserved it in 2013. Dembele this season was better and more important to PSG than Ribery was to Bayern.

There's been claims that PSG was more of a team effort, yet Dembele still scored or assisted 7 of the 14 goals PSG scored in the knockout stages while Ribery only contributed 2 of the 16 Bayern scored that season. Dembele also scored or assisted in every round while Ribery didn't get a goal contribution until the 7th goal against Barca in the semifinals. Dembele's performance in the final was also better than Ribery and he had more g/a for the season.

Ribery's technical ability was obviously better, but Dembele's directness and pressing off the ball shouldn't be underestimated either.
 
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Maradona37

Well-known member
Yeah the bias against Dembele for ballon d'or because he doesn't play "pure football" or something is clear. It might just be motivated by the agenda against Ronaldo, but some say Ribery deserved it in 2013. Dembele this season was better and more important to PSG than Ribery was to Bayern.

There's been claims that PSG was more of a team effort, yet Dembele still scored or assisted 7 of the 16 goals PSG scored in the knockout stages while Ribery only contributed 2 of the 18 Bayern scored that season. Dembele also scored or assisted in every round while Ribery didn't get a goal contribution until the 7th goal against Barca in the semifinals. Dembele's performance in the final was also better than Ribery and he had more g/a for the season.

Ribery's technical ability was obviously better, but Dembele's directness and pressing off the ball shouldn't be underestimated either.
Come on mate - while I agree Dembele has been excellent and am impressed by his improvement at PSG (you make good points there), you know as well as I do that you cannot reduce Ribery to numbers.

Not even venturing an opinion on Ribery v Ronaldo that year - just saying that it's a bad faith argument to talk about Ribery in goal and assist terms as he was so much more than that in open play that season (and his career in general). And I think you know that.
 

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