French press lay in to Dembele

If Angel Di Maria shone in the World Cup final thanks to a stellar first-half performance, it was the complete opposite for Ousmane Dembele. The Barcelona winger, who was an integral part of the French side throughout the tournament, did not play well before Didier Deschamps took him off before half-time. The French press have laid into him, vilifying him for his bad performance.
"Dembele's 40 minutes were shameful for a World Cup final. Defensively, he always got back too late. He was out-played by Di Maria, before giving away a dubious penalty. What is more, all his first touches ended up at the opponent's feet", 'L'Equipe' wrote about him. To be fair, he was not winning the one-on-ones, and did not manage to get forward with the ball. That is one of the reasons why that Les Bleus ended the first-half without having a single shot.
"He was a shadow of his former self. He controlled every ball very nerviously. It made sense for him to be replaced by Kolo Muani", 'RMC Sport' said. As for the fans, their analysis was similar, clarifying that the Barcelona man's performance was off when his national side most needed him, which, thanks to an Otamendi error and Mbappe's clinical finishing, forced extra-time and penalties.
Dembele was going from strength to strength with Xavi, so his bad performance in the World Cup final is a worrying slip-up. With what remains of the season, it will be vital he does not let this get to him so he can refind his best level which allowed him to start several games when it was not for injuries which kept him out. He still has lots of opportunities to shine in La Liga.