Ousmane Dembélé did not hold back in his assessment of Paris Saint-Germain’s performance after the team suffered a surprising 3-1 loss at Rennes on Friday night.
The defeat was a heavy one for the Ligue 1 leaders, who were widely expected to win against a Rennes side that was without a permanent coach. Instead, the home side snapped their own five-game winless streak and handed PSG a tough lesson.
Speaking after the match, Dembélé made it clear that the team’s approach was not good enough. He stressed that individual efforts are hurting the group’s chances of success.
“We must show more desire. Above all, we need to play for Paris Saint-Germain to be able to win all matches,” Dembélé said. “Because if everyone plays for themselves on the pitch, it is not going to work, and we are not going to win the titles we want.”
The French winger reminded his teammates of what made them successful in the past. “Last season, we put the club and the Paris Saint-Germain badge first, before thinking about ourselves,” he added.
PSG came into the match full of confidence. They had just moved back to the top of the table after beating Marseille 5-0, marking their seventh straight league win. But against Rennes, they looked ordinary and were unable to respond to the home side’s energy.
Rennes, who fired coach Habib Beye earlier in the week, took full advantage of PSG’s struggles. The win moved them into fifth place, while PSG remained in first. However, second-placed Lens now has a chance to take over the top spot if they beat Paris FC on Saturday.