Paris Saint-Germain will visit Arsenal on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium in what on paper looks like the most attractive match of Champions League matchweek 2. The visitors arrive in London without one of its main attacking players: Ousmane Dembélé.
In a surprising decision, manger Luis Enrique dropped Dembélé from the traveling squad. The Spanish manager hasn't been afraid to be ruthless with his stars since he arrived in Paris and it seems like this is another example of him imposing his authority.
Rumors began circulating about an apparent argument between Dembélé and Enrique following PSG's 3–1 victory over Rennes in Ligue 1 on Friday. However, Enrique denied any altercation happened with the player and gave the reason why the Frenchman was left out of the squad.
"There wasn't a discussion between the player and myself, that's totally false, it's a lie," Enrique said to reporters in his UCL pre-match press conference.
"There's a problem with the player (Dembélé) and his obligations with the team, that's it. If someone gravely doesn't fulfill the obligations the team has, that tells me he's not prepared. My objective is to do what's best for the team, that's the decision."
Dembélé has been an important piece for PSG this season. He's scored four goals through six league games, already surpassing the total amount he scored in his first Ligue 1 season for Les Parisiens. The 27-year-old dynamic winger looked as the natural replacement to become the experienced star leading the attack for PSG after the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid.
Now, Enrique's team travels to north London having to figure out how to set up the attack with Dembélé's absence. Enrique might be tempted to give a chance to 19-year-old Désiré Doué on the wing, given that he already made his Champions League debut in the 1–0 win vs. Girona. However, the more likely approach would be to slot Randal Kolo Muani as the main striker, allowing Lee Kang–in to drift to the right wing with Bradley Barcola on the left.
PSG has one of the most difficult league phase gauntlets in the Champions League. Arsenal is the biggest test so far with Mikel Arteta's team looking for its first Champions League win of the season. Depending on the result, Enrique might be seen as a mad genius, or 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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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG Manager Leaves Ousmane Dembele Out of UCL Squad vs. Arsenal.
