Arsenal boost as Ousmane Dembele AXED by PSG after blazing row with boss Luis Enrique ahead of Champions League clash
LUIS ENRIQUE has dropped PSG star Ousmane Dembele for their Champions League clash with Arsenal for “disrespecting the team”.
The Parisians flew to London on Monday and trained at the Emirates – but Dembele was left in France following a bust up with boss Enrique.
The disagreement is believed to have occurred on Friday night during PSG’s 3-1 Ligue 1 win over Rennes with Dembele subbed off in the 82nd minute.
It has come as a shock given Dembele’s impressive form so far this term with four goals in six league games, but Enrique insists he has the backing of the club.
Spaniard Enrique said: “I am not going to create a soap opera out of this.
“There are no problems between us. That is completely false. This is simply about the responsibilities of the player.
“If someone doesn’t comply or respect the expectations of the team, it means they are not prepared to play.
“This match is very important and I want all my players to be ready, so as a consequence I have left him out. I want the best for my team and that is my job.
“These circumstances are difficult and you have to take difficult decisions. But I am 100 per cent engaged with my decision, and 100 per cent sure of the decision I have made.
“It doesn’t mean this is irreversible. I have the support of the club’s president and the sporting director.
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“I am here to create a team and in the future that might include Ousmane Dembele, just to be clear.”
PSG won their opening Champions League game at home to Girona thanks to a last-gasp own goal – while the Gunners drew 0-0 away at Atalanta.
Enrique – who knows Mikel Arteta from their time as players at Barcelona – said: “Mikel is one of the best coaches on the market at the moment.
“He changed Arsenal’s fortunes from a somewhat winless streak to one of the best teams in the world that is competing for titles.
“I would go as far as to say they are the best team in Europe playing without the ball. He is a great coach and a great person.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked about Dembele’s absence during his pre-match press conference on Monday morning.
He responded: “We just got the news. We don’t know if it is true or not.
“But we prepare like we always do, but they have many other options.”
On the match itself, he added: “Everybody is looking forward to it.
“We missed it for a number of years, and last year was the first one after so many years that we had the experience to do it.
“The group stage is a bit different this season and the opposition we are going to face tomorrow is probably at the highest level that you can face in European football.
“But honestly, it’s a good opportunity for us to see how we deal with these nights, how prepared we are and how we can impose ourselves in this kind of context.”