After Barça – Naples (1-1) / Xavi: “Ousmane Dembélé turned the Camp Nou whistles into applause”

Xavi was not heard. The Barça coach had called on Blaugrana supporters not to whistle Ousmane Dembélé. It was ten days ago, after the victory against Atlético de Madrid. The Frenchman did not come into play, but the public shouted the name of the French winger when the replacements were announced. Ten days later, Dembélé stepped onto the Camp Nou lawn for the first time in 2022. He replaced Adama Traoré in the 65th minute. And he received a deafening volley of whistles from the stands.

Barcelona fans did not seem to have given him their forgiveness after a winter transfer window that drove a wedge between the player and his fans. Dembélé, bought for 140 million euros in the summer of 2017, refused to extend a contract which expires next June. The tricolor international also refused to be transferred despite advances from a few clubs, notably Tottenham. He will probably leave the Catalan club at the end of a disappointing course, and without bringing him the slightest euro. Much to the chagrin of Catalan fans who let him know.

Impact if not decisive

The whistles when he came into play continued on the Frenchman’s first shots. It was set to last until the end of the match. But they were quickly replaced by encouragement and applause, even before Dembélé managed his first blows on the lawn. The former Rennais was quick to stand out. Always willing and available, he did not hide for a second, trying everything possible to allow Barça to snatch victory against Naples.

He was not far from achieving his ends. Dembélé regularly made the difference on his right side and was involved in most of Barcelona’s chances late in the game, like a hook followed by a perfect cross that neither of his partners had. was able to resume in front of goal. He was able to bring to the Barça attack this ability to change pace which had most often been lacking in this meeting so far. It was not decisive. But the 24-year-old has given Xavi’s training a noticeable impact.

“I don’t know how badly he will be affected”

The Barcelona winger was no longer whistled. It remains to be seen whether he will forget the frankly hostile reception that the Camp Nou had given him. “I don’t know how much it will be affectedrecognized Gerard Pique at the microphone of Movistar. People are free to express their dissatisfaction, but they must know that when they whistle while we play, it does not do the team any good. I understand that there are people who felt disturbed, but in this case we would like them to show up at the end of the match, and be behind us for 90 minutes before. For us, it’s important, it’s vital that there are no whistles. The fact of not knowing them with us, it hurts”.

Barça suffered above all from a clumsiness embodied by poor Ferran Torres against Naples. But his collective performance remains generally encouraging for the rest of a competition which now represents a major objective for the Blaugrana institution. Dembélé has shown that he was capable of bringing his stone to the building. Xavi was not insensitive to it. “Ousmane succeeded in dribbling, he was behind an action that almost ended in goal… he has characterhe said at a press conference. And the whistles turned into applause. I think that’s the thing to remember“The Barcelona coach ended up being heard.