MSD: After MSN, Barcelona return with a new trident
The numbers posted by Messi, Suarez and Dembele are reason for optimism at Camp Nou
Neymar left a vacancy on the left at Camp Nou and a pile of notes in the club's offices. His unexpected departure forced Barcelona to spend to replace him and the chosen player was Ousmane Dembele -- an unpredictable, quick winger, who cost an initial 105 million euros.
Because of his pricetag, a magnifying glass has followed Dembele sing he arrived. Injuries led to a disappointing first season and he was unable to shine. When he was fit, coach Ernesto Valverde didn't feel he was mature enough to maintain the 4-3-3 which had been formed with an attacking trio of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Valverde opted to play a more conservative side in his first year in charge. A lot, in the meantime, was said about Dembele: that he didn't eat well, that he had bad company, that he was immature... It was even said that Malcom's signing could see him leave. That's not been the case. Valverde, who has more information than anyone to take decisions, waited for the right moment to bring back the trident.
Dembele's partnered Suarez and Messi in six official games this season. Every game so far. He's not missed a single match. Valverde has seen him respond, not just scoring goals, but growing as a player, linking better all the time. Dembele, like Neymar did, unbalances defences, sets up goals, scores, frees Messi and Suarez and forced defences to be on their toes. The goals are a consequence of all of that. And the numbers show the MSN has become the MSD. After six games of previous seasons, Barça's trident had scored: 10 goals (14-15), nine (15-16), 16 (16-17). Dembele (5), Messi (7) and Suarez (3) have 15 this season.
Valverde
Valverde had no doubt about Dembele in preseason: "He is a player with a lot of talent. He has good technique, can use both feet, he's rapid and he unbalances teams. He can help us a lot, but he's young and needs to adapt. We hope that he will be important and that he can break through." The French international accepted the challenge and is responding to the confidence shown in him by his coach.
COMPETITION
The signing of Malcom was seen as a way of putting pressure on Dembele. However, the former Borussia Dortmund man has a big fan in Valverde and his place in the side looks nailed down. In fact, Valverde suggested that Malcom wasn't even a signing he wanted: "He's a player that the club have followed for a while and in the end they decided to sign him. He's a young player, with potential, that the club think can help up. Whether he will start or not depends on his performances."
The Brazilian has played just six minutes so far, the final stages against Real Valladolid. He hasn't yet had a chance under Valverde and has been injured since Sept. 3. He's still awaiting the green light to return.
