PARIS, May 20 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique praised Ousmane Dembele’s defensive commitment ahead of next week's Champions League final against Arsenal, saying the France forward had become an example for coaches because of the intensity he brings without the ball.
“That’s Ousmane’s mentality. Every coach should show how he defends," Luis Enrique told reporters on Wednesday.
“We always tend to highlight what forwards do in attack but never what they do defensively. Ousmane always shows his individual quality on the ball and his ability to perform without the ball.”
Dembele has become one of the symbols of Luis Enrique’s PSG rebuild, with the Spaniard demanding that even his most gifted attackers contribute relentlessly to the collective press.
That transformation was perhaps best captured during last year’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Television cameras caught Dembele fixing Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer with an intense stare before charging forward to trigger PSG’s press — an image that embodied the aggression and discipline Luis Enrique wanted from his frontline.
PSG went on to overwhelm Inter 5-0 to win the club’s first Champions League title, with Dembele’s work rate setting the tone as much as his attacking quality.
The French forward arrives at this year’s final after another influential European campaign, having evolved from a largely instinctive dribbler into one of the most complete attacking players in Luis Enrique’s system.
Dembele has been nursing a sore calf after the end of the Ligue 1 season last weekend but Luis Enrique expects his squad to be at full strength for the final with fullback Achraf Hakimialso making his return to training.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris)
