‘1/10’: National media tears into player Chelsea wanted this summer for terrible World Cup final display

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Get Football News France have described Ousmane Dembele’s World Cup final performance as ‘one of the worst in history’.

The winger was reportedly on Chelsea’s radar as his contract situation was unclear this summer.

Dembele was handed the start in the final as part of the familiar front three with Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe and former Blue Olivier Giroud.

They found themselves in unfamiliar territory though, struggling in the face of Argentinian dominance.

With the South American side 2-0 up, Didier Deschamps made the bold move to make a double change before half-time, with Dembele one of the two replaced.

While he struggled going forwards with any fluidity, he also had his floors defensively. His clumsy challenge brought down Angel di Maria for an early penalty.

Dembele slated by media

GFFN have claimed that the display from the Barcelona man may live long in the memory, although for all the wrong reasons.

They said: Ousmane Dembele, 1 – One of the worst individual performances in World Cup final history. On both a personal and collective note, his sloppy touch from a simple short pass set the tone for Les Bleus’ performance. The Barcelona winger got caught on the wrong side and clumsily brought down Di María in the box to concede the penalty.

He won none of his duels and lost possession on seven occasions before being brutally but fairly hooked before half-time. A performance that may live long in the memory, but not for the right reasons as far as Dembélé and France are concerned. 

Thomas Tuchel was reportedly keen on bringing in the winger over the summer, with it seeming as if he was surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp.

However, he did sign a new deal to stay with Barcelona, despite the club also bringing in fellow Chelsea target Raphinha.

While it may feel unfair to say that the Blues dodged a bullet based on yesterday’s performance, that kind of display in a big game would be unacceptable at Stamford Bridge, and may have lost a lot of fan confidence in the process.