Munich – Ousmane Dembélé keep throwing back injuries at FC Barcelona. At Borussia Dortmund this was not the case once. Why is that?
When Ousmane Dembélé joined FC Barcelona in the summer of 2017, he signed the contract of his life with one of the world’s biggest clubs at the tender age of 20.
So far, Barca has been paid 125 million euros (which is expected to rise even further due to various clauses) for the services of Borussia Dortmund’s shooting star, who was to tear apart the opponents’ defences with superstars Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. Instead, the outside striker found himself in the stands for more than half of the games.
The reason: injuries threw Dembélé back time and again, and at no stage did he stay fit for several months at a time in Catalonia. As a result, Dembélé has yet to make the big breakthrough.
Rough nights and wild parties
He played 74 games for Barca and missed another 80 games with injuries. In the next few weeks there will be a lot more to come, because this season the offensive player will not be on the field due to a rupture of the right rear thigh muscle.
The vulnerability is surprising, given that Dembélé had never missed a single match with an injury in his entire career. Not at Stade Rennes and not at BVB. Why is that?
Many fans and experts alike cite his poor attitude, lack of discipline and unwillingness to train as reasons for poor performance and also for the injuries.
Rumours of ragged nights on the PlayStation, wild parties and delays at the Barca training sessions have been heard again and again. He was also accused of poor nutrition.
The start in Barcelona was certainly anything but easy for Dembélé. His attitude was indeed not exemplary and obviously he afforded himself some scandals. However, the talent now seems to be fully focused on football: Dembélé swaps cola for apple-pear-pineapple juice
L’Equipe claims to have learned from his circle that Dembélé is more determined than ever to succeed. He should subordinate everything to this goal. This impression is supported by statements of his cook.
“It is a pity to see his current bad luck with injuries, as he has never cared so much about himself,” Anthony Audebaud told L’Equipe. He was assigned by the club to the outside striker in order to ensure that the professional is eating a healthy diet.
Dembélé now gets up at nine every day, takes his diet breakfast prepared by Audebaud and then starts working hard on his comeback in rehabilitation.
Only fresh food is served for dinner, cola has been swapped for apple-pear-pineapple juice, and the Frenchman is said to have lost his affinity for humid celebrations: “Today he eats sea bream, sea bass, rooster and lots of vegetables. Besides, there is never a party at his home, he is very professional,” said Audebaud, who Dembélé now employs – voluntarily – full-time.
But if it’s not a matter of attitude and diet, what is the reason for the sudden accumulation of injuries?
Dembélé a victim of the Barca training?
According to L’Equipe, the solution to the mystery lies in the physical conditions of the wingman and FC Barcelona’s training control. Dembélé’s strengths are his explosive start, his incredible speed and his quick dribbling, including quick changes of direction.
In the game he uses his muscles in a similar way to sprinters. The problem according to the French professional body: Dembélé is not prepared for this strain in the training of the Catalans. The consequences are repeated muscle injuries.