Enrique: Barcelona is behind Dembele's brilliance

The former Barcelona player sees it as "the best school of football"

Luis Enrique has hailed Ousmane Dembele's impact in Paris Saint-Germain's 3-1 win over Strasbourg on Saturday, in the seventh round of the French league.

The French star came off the bench with Strasbourg 1-0 up, then turned the game on its head. One goal, one assist, and a missed penalty along the way.

Speaking after the match, in comments carried by French newspaper "L'Equipe", Enrique said of Dembele: "I told him: if you play 25 minutes and provide an assist and score a goal, you don't need to play more. That is enough."

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The Spanish coach added that the penalty miss had left Dembele angry, and admitted PSG are struggling from the spot. They have converted just one of their four penalties this season.

"Every time we have played a final, we have had takers with quality," Enrique continued. "We have plenty of players capable of taking penalties, but it is true that we are missing a specialist. With Vitinha and Ousmane, we have plenty of players who can strike penalties."

Asked about Dembele's development and his impact in the biggest games, Enrique pointed to the forward's years at Barcelona. "He was at the best football school, which is Barcelona. In his style of play, he knew everything in advance."

The former Barca player and coach went on: "Whenever you get the chance to watch a player from Barcelona, you will find him adapting to what I love in football. He understands perfectly whether he has to position himself in a wide area or in the middle. Understanding the game is fundamental for us, and when you have players who already have that experience, it is completely different for us."