Barcelona’s display in their 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Saturday was far from convincing, with the fact that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was widely lauded as man of the match giving an accurate reflection to the overall flow of the game.
As Real Madrid dropped points later on to leave Barca as the only team in La Liga with a 100% record, it was one of those days where the result was more important than the performance – although manager Ernesto Valverde will be concerned that his initial team selection struggled to the extent that he was forced into bringing on rested stars Sergio Busquets and Philippe Coutinho.
The belated appearance of those two players and the saves made by ter Stegen turned the game in Barca’s favour, but perhaps the most significant long-term boost for Barca was the identity of the match-winning goalscorer: Ousmane Dembele.
In truth, Dembele did not have a particularly great game, needlessly losing the ball on several occasions and generally struggling to seamlessly connect with his teammates. Even his winning goal, bundled home after an error by floundering home keeper Geronimo Rulli, needed a double-deflection before finding its way over the line.
However, that should not detract from the simple fact that Dembele scored the vital winner, as he also did in the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla and the opening away fixture against Real Valladolid: without his goals, Barca would have four fewer points and perhaps one fewer trophy.
This is exactly the kind of contribution Barca needed from a highly costly signing who largely failed to deliver during an injury-hit first season at the Camp Nou, and the impression that Dembele is still struggling to properly gel with his teammates can be overlooked when he is proving so decisive.
In fact, that may never really happen. Dembele’s specific skill set – creative dribbling at pace – would be much better stylistically suited to a team which relies on sharp counter-attacks rather than the possession-based game favoured by the Blaugrana, and he could always remain something an outsider, failing to genuinely ‘fit in’ with the Barca DNA.
Rather than a negative, though, that incongruousness could prove to be a huge benefit. The problem with Barca’s style has always been that, after a while, it becomes rather predictable: short sideways passes along the ground, little one-twos, prodding and probing…opposition defenders know exactly what they’re going to get, and can structure their game plan accordingly.
Often, the pure quality of the individuals at Barca’s disposal – especially, of course, Lionel Messi – allows them to prevail despite their relatively one-dimensional game plan.
But there are also plenty of times when even Messi’s heroics aren’t enough, and the team desperately needs an alternative approach, something different, to unlock well-drilled opposition.
And this is where Dembele fits in. Having been reared well away from La Masia, he doesn’t fit the Barca mould. Rather than deftly passing his way through the opposition, he attempts to run his way through.
One-touch passing? No thanks – he prefers to take an extra touch, and then another, and then trick his way past his marker with a quick change of feet and shift of balance.
Much of the time, Dembele’s teammates won’t know what he’ll do next, and he may well therefore struggle to ever develop the unspoken and unconscious but wonderfully incisive connection with Messi and Suarez that was previously enjoyed so profitably by Neymar.
However, that won’t necessarily matter if opposition defenders are also left guessing for his next move, and the creative individualistic skills of the Frenchman could end up making all the difference when the stakes are high.
Saturday’s scrambled winner at the Anoeta wasn’t a particularly good example to illustrate that point, but it does serve to strengthen the feeling that Dembele is growing in confidence and putting his first-season woes behind him. If that trend continues, he could still end up being a great value for money signing.
