October 1 – Paris St Germain have axed one of their star players, Ousmane Dembélé, from tonight’s mouth-watering Champions League clash at Arsenal for apparent disciplinary reasons.
Dembele was surprisingly left out of PSG’s squad with manager Luis Enrique partially explaining why.
“If someone doesn’t comply or respect the expectations of the team, it means they are not prepared to play,” Enrique said somewhat cryptically.
“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% engaged with my decision and 100% sure of the decision I have made.”
L’Equipe reported Dembele’s omission was because of a heated row the pair were involved in following the recent 3-1 win over Rennes.
Enrique, the former Barcelona manager, didn’t go into the specifics but insisted there are no underlying problems between the pair.
“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.
“It doesn’t mean this is irreversible, but I took the best decision for the team and that is why I signed here, to create a team that has a strong identity and has a lot of character.”
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