Dembele's Place in France's Attack Questioned Amidst Olise's Rise

Ousmane Dembele arrived at the World Cup aiming to solidify his status as a cornerstone of the French national team, but the opening match against Senegal highlighted a persistent dilemma: his place within Didier Deschamps' tactical setup.

Despite reinventing himself as a creative force and influential forward for Paris Saint-Germain, Dembele continues to search for his role in the national squad. France's 3-1 victory over Senegal showcased their attacking prowess, yet Dembele struggled to become indispensable in an offense increasingly centered around Kylian Mbappe and the rapidly rising Michael Olise.

Olise's emergence has significantly complicated Dembele's quest for a leading role. The Bayern Munich playmaker has rapidly formed a strong understanding with Mbappe, creating dangerous attacking moves. This dynamic partnership has often relegated Dembele to the right flank, a more restrictive position compared to the freedom he enjoyed at PSG, where he was a focal point of their offense.

As Mbappe and Olise appear to be solidifying their attacking partnership for France's title defense, Dembele is still defining his contribution. Former World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu noted the challenge, questioning how to best position Dembele to replicate his PSG form. "So far, whether in the warm-up games or in this opening match, we haven't seen him play with his usual freedom," Lizarazu observed.

Dembele enters a major tournament in peak form, yet his place in the starting lineup seems less certain than ever. While Deschamps values his ability to unbalance opponents, the coach faces the growing challenge of not just finding Dembele a spot, but a role that allows him to be as influential for France as he is for PSG. Failure to do so could see the Ballon d'Or winner relegated to the bench.

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The key question is what to do with Ousmane Dembele. How do you position him to get the best out of him and bring out the Dembele we've seen at PSG? So far, whether in the warm-up games or in this opening match, we haven't seen him play with his usual freedom. After a game like this, he'll be sitting there wondering what more he can do.