Barcelona hoping Dembélé makes a swift recovery
Plenty of daylight remains between Barcelona and their nearest rivals in La Liga, thanks to a comfortable 3-1 victory against Leganes at the weekend, as the team extended their excellent run of form with a seventh consecutive win in the competition. However, there was also anxiety after Ousmane Dembélé was forced to limp off the pitch in the second half.
Dembélé had opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 32nd minute of the encounter, his 13th goal of the season, while putting on an exciting masterclass of speed and skill. 12 successful dribble attempts from 15 during the first half alone, his best display in the Barça shirt to date on his 50th official appearance for the club.
The 21-year-old continued to dazzle in the second half, but in the 66th minute while attempting to keep possession of the ball, Dembélé lost his footing on the slippery playing surface. As he lost balance, the studs of his trailing foot remained planted to the ground, with his ankle and knee twisting with the direction of his body. A brief grimace of pain indicated that it was game over for the youngster, who was immediately replaced by Malcolm.
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Following the game, the initial reaction was one of fear that Dembélé might have suffered serious ligament damage to both his knee and ankle. Nevertheless, after more thorough medical examinations the following Monday, a more positive prognosis was released to the media. No damage to the knee as the earlier concerns had suspected, although confirmation of a sprained knee that will keep Dembélé out of action for around 15 days.
In the midst of a packed fixture list, this still isn’t good news. Dembélé is now almost certainly unavailable for both legs of the Copa del Rey quarter-final tie with Sevilla, along with La Liga games against Girona and Valencia. Pending a positive treatment outcome, the young Frenchman could be back in action by the middle of February, just in time for a return to action in the Champions League, when Barcelona are due to take on Lyon.
The physical condition of Dembélé will also be of concern to France manager Didier Deschamps, as he carefully monitors the form and fitness of players ahead UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying, with Les Bleus the outright international football betting favourites to progress from Group H. Although their first games of qualifying aren’t until the end of March, away against Moldova and at home against Iceland, the French coach will undoubtedly be keen to have the Barcelona forward available for both matches.
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Meanwhile, the injury to Dembélé gave manager Ernesto Valverde the genuine potential for further selection headaches in the coming weeks, particularly with attacking options a little threadbare. Following the sale of Munir El Haddadi to Sevilla, the Barça boss was clearly keen to secure suitable reinforcements before the close of the January transfer window.
One of the key elements required by Valverde was that prospective signings should have La Liga experience. Currently playing in the MLS with Los Angeles, Mexican international Carlos Vela was strongly linked, while rumours also circulated in the Spanish press that Barça might also make an approach for Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo, formerly of Granada CF and Watford, who is preparing to leave his current club, Changchun Yatai in China.
The move Barcelona and Valverde eventually went for is one that caught everyone by surprise, with the club announcing they had agreed to sign Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan from Italian side Sassuolo. The 31-year-old journeyman arrives at the Camp Nou on an initial loan, with the option of a permanent deal at the end of the season. He’ll be a complementary option once the Frenchman is fully fit and, for now, is a potent attacking signing to provide cover, allowing Barça to breathe easily while Dembélé is out of action.