Paris Saint-Germain attacker Ousmane Dembele will miss their visit to the Emirates Stadium later tonight to face Arsenal. The Gunners are back in UEFA Champions League action, looking to collect their first three points after faltering against Atalanta.
Mikel Arteta’s side drew with Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium in Italy and needed David Raya to stop a Mateo Retegui penalty to avoid defeat.
Dembele is set to miss the Arsenal game after falling out with manager Luis Enrique following Friday’s victory over Rennes. Enrique took the 27-year-old off, and the pair exchanged words.
It appears the player was out of line, and Enrique has decided to drop him over disciplinary issues. Speaking to talkSPORT, French journalist Lauren Juliens explained the situation between the coach and the manager.
“Just discipline,” Juliens said (via talkSPORT) when asked why Enrique dropped Dembele. “He had a bit of an argument with Enrique after the game on Friday night.
“There’s a couple of things Enrique was not happy with. He shared with Dembele, and he did not take them nicely at all.”
Enrique was reportedly unhappy when the former Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund attacker failed to square the ball for Achraf Hakimi. The manager has taken action against the wideman by dropping him for the Arsenal game.
Arsenal will be delighted to see Dembele out for the clash. The rapid winger is one of the best one-on-one specialists in the world and can torture any full-back he faces.
South Korean playmaker Lee Kang-in will likely deputise for Dembele. He brings a different type of danger on the flanks, even though he is so much better playing through the middle.
Arsenal also have to be wary of Bradley Barcola, who has been in sparkling form since taking the starting berth following the departure of Kylian Mbappe. Barcola has six goals and two big chances created in six Ligue 1 appearances.
