"It drives me mad" - Frank Leboeuf slams France star's lack of end product and likens him to Leroy Sane
France legend Frank Leboeuf has slammed Ousmane Dembele's lack of end product in the final third, likening him to Germany international Leroy Sane. This comes ahead of Les Bleus' Euro 2024 semi-final clash against Spain at the Allianz Arena on July 9.
Ousmane Dembele hasn't been in the best form in the tournament, although he has sometimes looked like the most exciting player on the pitch. He has provided an assist in his four appearances, winning the penalty against Poland, which Kylian Mbappe scored from in the group stage.
Leroy Sane, on the other hand, was rather sub-par for Germany. While he played every game, he has been unable to add to the tournament hosts' attacking quality, failing to score or provide an assist. The Germans are now out of the competition, and Sane was arguably one of their underperforming players.
Frank Leboeuf compared the two players in an interview with Get French Football News, saying:
"Ousmane Dembele – I call him 'What A Shame!' – as in ooooOOOOOH – aaah, what a shame!” [Laughs] It drives me mad! He’s like (Leroy) Sane for Germany – there are players like that – who excite you when they get the ball … and then nothing."
When asked about Les Bleus' poor form in the tournament, he added:
"[Didier] Deschamps has 50% of the responsibility as coach, and the players have 50% of the responsibility. When Dembele shoots over the bar it’s not Deschamps’ fault – he’s picked a player who is capable of scoring goals, yet every shot he has goes over the bar!"
Dembele will hope he can improve his form when France face Spain in the EURO 2024 semi-final, as they seek a berth in the final.
France vs Spain: EURO 2024 semi-final brief preview
Both European giants may be sitting in the semi-finals of the tournament, but their journeys to reach this point have been far from similar. While France haven't scored a goal from open play so far, Spain have managed to score an impressive 11 goals, conceding just three.
It will be a cause for concern for France, as they have managed to score three goals. Two of them were own goals, while one was Mbappe's penalty against Poland. Les Bleus have simply not found their form throughout the campaign, needing to win a penalty shootout against Portugal to enter the semi-final.
Spain are yet to get to a shootout, as they managed to beat Germany 2-1 within extra time in their quarter-final clash. The Spaniards will be hoping they can continue this impressive form and push France out of EURO 2024.