Enrique goes against the grain with a striking statement: you can pay the price of the ticket to watch Dembele with peace of mind
The Spanish coach describes Doué as a "machine" and assesses France under Zidane
Luis Enrique leapt to Ousmane Dembélé's defence after the France forward came in for criticism over his international break displays, insisting the Paris Saint-Germain winger was outstanding despite the flak aimed his way.
PSG, with the technical staff and sporting management acting together, confirmed that Dembélé and Portugal's Nuno Mendes would both be given time off. Dembélé returns to training tomorrow, Saturday, while Mendes picks things up the day after.
That decision rules Dembélé out of Saturday's clash with Le Mans, the price of playing through a three-week international break.
The 29-year-old clocked 262 minutes out of a possible 360, making him France's second most-used player over the last break behind Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix.
Enrique: Dembélé was wonderful as usual
Plenty of minutes with France brought plenty of scrutiny. His level during the recent matches sparked widespread criticism in the French press, after he lined up as an out-and-out striker against Turkey in a 1-0 France win, then against Italy in a 1-1 draw, before switching to the right wing against Belgium in a 4-1 victory.
French media reckoned Dembélé was among the biggest losers of the break, especially after his showing against Belgium at the Stade de France. He pressed hard, kept moving and opened up space for his teammates, yet failed to leave a decisive mark. Michael Olise's cameo in his place only fuelled the comparisons.
Enrique would have none of it. Speaking at Friday's press conference ahead of PSG's return to the Parc des Princes, he said: "I have to say I do not agree with that. For me, he was wonderful as usual. He is a different kind of player. You can pay for the ticket to watch Ousmane on the pitch and be reassured. He is always there to show his potential and to shoot. He was very good."
As the French website "Foot Mercato" reported, the Spaniard explained that the decision to rest Dembélé and Mendes followed talks between all parties, given the length of the break and the fixtures to come: "After the duration of this break, we thought about it on an individual basis, and we all decided that Nuno and Ousmane need rest in preparation for the matches awaiting us. This is normal, and you will have to get used to it, because it will be a regular occurrence this season."
Praise for Doué: "He is a machine"
Enrique also singled out young Frenchman Désiré Doué for praise after a run of impressive displays with his country over the break.
"As is always the case, he is a machine, and he plays wonderful football," said the PSG boss. "He may play a match in which he is not sharp, like Ousmane, or Kvaratskhelia, or Fabián, and this applies to all players."
He went on: "I am not worried. What matters to me is what he delivers, and that he is ready to feature at any moment. To be ready whether on the bench or during training, that is something difficult to achieve."
Enrique comments on France's performance under Zidane
Talk of PSG rubbing off on Zinedine Zidane's France prompted a response, too, with suggestions the national team have borrowed some of the Parisian playbook.
"I do not know, but what I saw in France's first matches is that the ideas are suited to seeking to win, keeping possession, pressing and staying connected in order to form a real team," said the PSG manager.
"This is the difficulty you face when you are a national team coach, as you do not have enough time to achieve harmony between all the players," he added. "The level of the players was very positive, and the results speak for themselves."
