Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain’s 27-year-old striker, stopped off in the mixed zone after the 3-1 victory over Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday at the Parc des Princes as part of Matchday 15 of Ligue 1 2024-2025. He spoke about the victory, tactics, his relationship with coach Luis Enrique, the match stoppage for insulting chants and Presnel Kimpembe (29-year-old central defender).
Dembélé “We didn’t let them breathe and we’ve been rewarded.”
A great victory?
We knew it was going to be a tough game. Lyon are having a very good season and coming back well. They’re a quality team with very good players up front and at the back. So we had to be serious to beat them.
Did the first 15 minutes decide the match?
Yes, a bit. Even if it’s a 90-minute match. But it’s true that for the first 15 minutes we put a lot of intensity into the game. We didn’t let them breathe and we were rewarded with those 2 goals.
Dembélé “The idea is to keep the ball, but then we can move quickly in transition.”
Is it a shame we didn’t kill the game off earlier?
We had 2-3 chances where we could have really killed the game, and then we gave our opponents another chance to come back. But overall we played a good game, we controlled it. It was a good match for the fans.
Luis Enrique asked for more transitions?
The idea is to keep the ball, but then we can move quickly in transition with Bradley, Lee, Achraf, myself and Nuno on the flanks. But that wasn’t a specific instruction. We had the opportunity to do it, so we did.
Dembélé “we’re not brothers, he’s not my father.”
A word about the match stoppage?
We spoke to the referee and the delegate, and they said it had to stop before the match could resume. Of course, these chants are difficult to hear in stadiums. So I totally understand why the match had to be stopped.
You’ve played less in recent weeks, but now you’re starting… What’s your relationship with Luis Enrique?
As the coach said in the press conference, we’re not brothers, he’s not my father. We’re not “bro” (short for brother). It’s a coach-player relationship.
I’ve known him a little longer. We try to do everything we can to help Paris Saint-Germain grow, win titles, play well and please everyone.
Dembélé “We hope he’ll play against Monaco.”
How is Kimpembe doing?
Presko’s fine, I’ll tell you that frankly. We hope he’ll play against Monaco or the next game (laughs). Otherwise Lens or 2025. But he’s back with a vengeance.
What difference does it make to you to play as a false 9?
At Barça I played as a number 9, even at the Parc, and it was tough against Kimpembe. But with constant position changes in the team, a winger can be a 9 and vice versa. So it doesn’t change anything.
