JAKARTA - Four goals; one against Inter Miami, two against Juventus, and one against the New York Red Bulls. That's Ousmane Dembele's record in Barcelona's pre-season.
Barcelona brought Dembele from Dortmund in 2017. At that time, Blaugrana had to spend up to 140 million euros, equivalent to Rp. 2.7 trillion.
In fact, in terms of quality, the Frenchman is not that surprising. However, in terms of consistency and efficiency, this is the first time it's really been seen.
The French winger silenced those who were not convinced that the Blaugrana should keep him at Camp Nou.
Just two weeks ago, his contract renewal until 2024 was announced, a decision that raises doubts given his past performances.
But Dembele is a genius when he wants to be and in the United States, he has made it clear that he has come out of his shell.
Xavi has always been one of the Frenchman's biggest supporters and the coach believes that the former Borussia Dortmund man can be a great asset for Barcelona this season.
Xavi's approval was at the heart of the club's efforts to renew Dembele's contract and he is now seeing how this gamble, for now, pays off.
"He's very confident and I have a lot of confidence in him, he can make the difference and he does," Xavi said on tour.
Dembele, right after scoring twice against Juventus, stressed that the trust of the team and the coach were clearly in his favor.
Dembele's form wasn't just about individual performances as he integrated perfectly with the rest of his teammates in attack, and the first half of the game against the New York Red Bulls was the best proof.
LDR Partnership; Robert Lewandowski, Dembele, and Raphinha went perfectly in the first half.
With two wings supporting the centre, a clear reference point in attack, the Barcelona forward moves with fluidity, precision, power, and punch.
Dembele's goal even came after an assist from the Brazilian from the edge of the box.
VOIR éGALEMENT:
Dembele's chemistry with Lewandowski
Although Lewandowski did not score, the alliance with Dembele was also clear: the Frenchman provided Lewandowski on several occasions before half-time. Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect night for Bayern's players.
In fact, Barcelona was sharper in the first half with the LDR formula on the pitch, although in the second half Memphis Depay shined again to make the score 2-0.
Dembele's talent is clear and the player's big challenge now is to build consistency.
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