Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé, the verdict falls before France-Iraq
As the France team prepares for its second World Cup match against Senegal, things are becoming clearer regarding Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé.
In this two-faced match against Senegal (3-1), the France team not only changed its attitude from one half to the next. It also changed animation, with the adjustment made by Didier Deschamps at the break.
Returning from the locker room, Michael Olise started in the center, while he was aligned on the right flank during the first act. Ousmane Dembélé took the opposite route, returning to one side after having had a freer role at the start of the match.
Didier Deschamps explained that he wanted to see Olise at the heart of the game, and the left-hander was decisive by sending several goal balls to Kylian Mbappé. The Bayern Munich player, however, plays on the right with his club. But the coach regularly aligned him in the axis with the Blues, before modifying his approach for this France-Senegal, in order to place Dembélé in a situation closer to that in which he has excelled with Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons.
What position for Olise and Dembélé?
But Olise, by the way, which position does he prefer? “ I think it’s number 10. It’s a slightly freer role. I grew up playing number 10. So for me it’s a bit more natural. Well, maybe not right now, because I’m playing on the wing today, but I think it’s what feels most natural to me,” explains the former Crystal Palace player, in an interview carried out by L’Equipe before the start of the World Cup.
With his performances with the Blues, Michael Olise is becoming so important that he has more or less earned the right to choose his position. In turn, we understand that the rest of the World Cup should take place on the right wing for Ousmane Dembélé.
