Luis Enrique hails Dembélé after Strasbourg: decisive 25-minute impact

By the PSG News newsroom · Published on 2026-10-17 · Updated on 2026-10-17 · luis enrique · ousmane dembélé · psg · ligue 1

Luis Enrique praised Ousmane Dembélé's performance on Saturday, Oct 17, 2026 at the Meinau, noting a 25-minute cameo with a decisive assist and a goal.

Dembélé's decisive moment at the Meinau

In a Ligue 1 clash, Strasbourg 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain, Giovanni Reyna opened the scoring for Strasbourg in the 17th minute. PSG then overturned the deficit thanks to goals recorded in the official data: Illia Zabarnyi (77'), Ousmane Dembélé (85') and Désiré Doué (90'+3') for Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique stressed that Dembélé, who came on in the second half, had an immediate impact by providing a decisive pass before finding the net, which, in his view, fully justifies his limited playing time.

Luis Enrique defends the management of playing time

The coach defended his decision to bring Dembélé on in the second half and to limit his time on the pitch to around a quarter of an hour, arguing that effectiveness takes precedence over minutes played. This stance fits within the coaching staff's approach to individual management when a player directly influences the outcome: delivering a goal or a decisive pass changes the cost/benefit of the time allotted.

Implications for rotation and the bench

Enrique's remark highlights the strategy of using offensive players from the bench: prioritizing immediate impact over minutes accumulated. By recalling that Dembélé provided a decisive pass and a goal during this short spell, the coach affirms the relevance of his rotation choices for this squad.

The facts remain straightforward: on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Paris Saint-Germain triumphed 3-1 in Strasbourg with a decisive contribution from Ousmane Dembélé after coming on, and Luis Enrique defended the principle that such an contribution in 25 minutes is enough.