Ousmane Dembélé has had a rollercoaster ride to start Year 1 with Paris Saint-Germain. The 26-year-old has yet to score a goal for the capital club, but his role as a creative playmaker is beginning to shine as he transitions from FC Barcelona to PSG.
Dembélé recently spoke with L’Equipe in an in-depth interview. One of the talking points that the Frenchman had with the media outlet was his performance. Even though it’s easy to look at the zero goals on his stat line and judge based on that, it doesn’t tell the entire story.
Nonetheless, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner knows that his goal production is something that he needs to improve on.
“How do I judge my first months at PSG? Average. I have to give a little more,” Dembélé said. “I know it will come because it’s a new club. The more matches go by, the better I will be.”
🚨 Ousmane Dembélé à L’ÉQUIPE : « Comment je juge mes premiers mois au PSG ? Moyens. Je dois donner un peu plus. Je sais que ça va venir, parce que c'est un nouveau club. Plus les matches vont s'enchaîner, meilleur je vais être. »
« Si je comprends les critiques sur mes stats ?…
— Hadrien Grenier (@hadrien_grenier) November 6, 2023
Additionally, Dembélé isn’t too worried about the criticisms people might have over his statistical output so far for PSG. Still, he gives off this confidence, knowing that the goals and more assists will come.
“If I understand the criticism about my stats? Yes, but I don’t judge my performances on a goal scored,” Dembélé added. “I think I will progress in this sector, but it doesn’t annoy me. It’s not just the goal that matters. But I will work on it.”
For PSG, it’s more important to have Dembélé clicking now, which he’s doing and heading into 2024. If these first few months are to get this rust off, then hopefully, the squad will see the best from the former Barcelona star.