Ousmane Dembele was one of the worst performers when France were utterly outclassed by Argentina during the first half of the FIFA World Cup final.
Although Les Bleus made an excellent comeback in the second half, it was largely thanks to a couple of substitutions made by Didier Deschamps. One of those decisions was to sub off Dembele, who was struggling to make an impression on the flanks and was replaced by Marcus Thuram.
After the game, Dembele received heavy criticism from the French media over his performance in the final. Even though the forward was one of France’s finest performers in the World Cup campaign, his lacklustre display against Argentina was broadly highlighted.
However, Dembele is looking to move on from the defeat and is now firmly focused on the season ahead with Barcelona, reports Mundo Deportivo.
The report suggests that the defeat to Argentina in the final has left Dembele frustrated. He wants to turn his feeling into motivation and help Barcelona during the second half of the campaign.
The winger is already expected to join the Barcelona camp ahead of the season restart and work with Xavi Hernandez. With five goals and nine assists in all competitions this season, he has been one of the most productive players for the Catalans this term.
Dembele’s performances could be crucial during the second half of the campaign when Barça will be looking to maintain their lead at the top of the table while hunting for the Copa Del Rey trophy.
Barcelona restart their campaign on December 31, as they play host to local rivals Espanyol. However, having only finished his World Cup campaign on Sunday, it remains to be seen whether the forward will be available for the derby.