Where the hell has this player gone?

[idontgetit]

Dembele is looking like a ghost of the player he was at the start of the season. What the hell has happened to him? Should he be rested or does he just need a few more games to get back in the swing of things? We can always play Holtby with Parker and bring Siggurdson in to play behind the striker if his form doesn't pick up.

 

[We'llWinThePrem]

His hip probably

 

[the watson]

Cabaye/Sissoko/Tiote/Perch was a tough tough midfield to play against. It's difficult to wriggle into space against such quick energetic players. It was a very good newcastle side that we played against today IMO

 

[EnfieldYiddo]

If you look back at performances of Dembele; you will find the dip started when he lost Sandro as a partner.

Parker played very well today but he doesn't suit Dembele as well as Sandro does

 

[idontgetit]

I remember him being awesome up until the QPR game when Mbia (I think) completely shut him down. After that he's stopped taking players on and forcing people off the ball. He seems a bit goofy looking rather than the absolute beast he was before

 

[mpickard2087]

Teams are probably working him out a bit. This isn't meant as total criticism but he is a bit predictable, as most players can be and subsequently worked out. He tends to take a lot of touches on the ball and try to glide past the man, usually to his left hand side. It looks to me as if teams now send more men towards him when he gets the ball, If the first player to him can hold him up and turn him back towards his own goal then the second man in can nip in and try to win the ball off him.

 

[jonathanhotspur]

Teams are probably working him out a bit. This isn't meant as total criticism but he is a bit predictable, as most players can be and subsequently worked out. He tends to take a lot of touches on the ball and try to glide past him, usually to the left hand side. It looks to me as if teams now send more men towards him when he gets the ball, If the first player to him can hold him up and turn him back towards his own goal then the second man in can nip in and try to win the ball off him.

Bloody good point and one that hadn't occurred to me. Certainly not buying the Sandro excuse.

 

[Mr Pink]

He's been a little below par since the QPR game - where Sandro got injured of course. I think he's missed the qualities Sandro brought beside him but lets not exaggerate because that prick Quinn kept going on about it...its not like he looks terrible. He could do with releasing the ball quicker, at times, and his decision making was a wee bit questionable - he had a great chance to to give and go with Bale on the left where all the space was and decided to come inside for some reason.

The injury he had could still be hindering him slightly as well. Still a class player and hopefully we'll see a return to the form he's showed for most of the season.

 

[amathews3416]

Needs to stop trying to dribble through defenses and start playing the pass.

 

[SugarRay]

Dembele needs to pick and choose when he takes players on. Time and again its the option he chooses when sometimes its easier to simply play a simple sideways pass.

He is still growing in to his role to be fair. Talent to burn.

 

[kaz Hirai]

personally i thought he beat alot of newcastle players today, out foxed alot of them. They had to resort to trying to break him. And if our mids were a little sharper they couldve have played some good one twos with him

 

[kcmei]

dembele played well today in particular defensively

 

[ShelfSide18]

Oh FFS, a couple of below days and now he's a shadow of the player he was? Do me a favour.

I was a bit 'meh' when we signed him, but immediately you saw the quality was there - a few off days doesn't change the fact he's been an excellent signing.

I'd rather a Dembele off day than a Huddlestone on day, any day.

 

[Mr Pink]

He was very good defensively second half as well as somebody points out - you saw Newcastle getting frustrated and ultimately Cabaye lashed out.

He's not been quite at his best but I knew there would be a knee jerk on this after Quinn said about a zillion times that he looked poor.

 

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

Didnt think he was too bad tbh. Thought he was better than Parker again. He did overun a couple of things and chose the wrong pass once or twice. He did well defensively though and is still generally comfortable in possesion.

 

[guiltyparty]

He's played worse than today

 

[mpickard2087]

I think sometimes as well that maybe he lacks a bit of self belief, there are a lot of times where he makes the room for himself about 25 yards out in a central area and he takes more touches or looks for an obscure pass rather than actually have a shot at goal. He has a powerful shot on him, if he used it a bit more and so there was an end product to him creating the space then he would be a truelly dangerous player.

 

[elDiablo]

Teams are probably working him out a bit. This isn't meant as total criticism but he is a bit predictable, as most players can be and subsequently worked out. He tends to take a lot of touches on the ball and try to glide past the man, usually to his left hand side. It looks to me as if teams now send more men towards him when he gets the ball, If the first player to him can hold him up and turn him back towards his own goal then the second man in can nip in and try to win the ball off him.

Was going to say something similar. His usual feint and drop of the shoulder is not as effective as it once was. Now he plays for a top team and gained the exposure he has, he is under a lot more scrutiny.

I thought he was better in the second half though. Move the ball a bit quicker, although does often take a touch too many.

My main gripe today was holding onto the ball too long. He glided past sissoko and had a chance to thread the ball but was indecisive and lost possession, then in the second half, he won the ball out left but turned in field, when Bale or Lennon were free on the wing to his left.

Still we won so cant complain too much - he's probably a bit tired, and now we have Holtby to relieve some of the burden.

 

[Mr Pink]

I think sometimes as well that maybe he lacks a bit of self belief, there are a lot of times where he makes the room for himself about 25 yards out in a central area and he takes more touches or looks for an obscure pass rather than actually have a shot at goal. He has a powerful shot on him, if he used it a bit more and so there was an end product to him creating the space then he would be a truelly dangerous player.

I've detected this a bit as well. Sometimes it looks like he's about to drive into the box and then hesitates and looks for the pass. That's the right thing to do sometimes, depends on what's on and how the play has developed, but he certainly has it in his locker to break into the box more.

He's certainly capable and with a bit more punch to his fight in the final third he could be devastating.

 

[ShelfSide18]

He was very good defensively second half as well as somebody points out - you saw Newcastle getting frustrated and ultimately Cabaye lashed out.

He's not been quite at his best but I knew there would be a knee jerk on this after Quinn said about a zillion times that he looked poor.

Niall Quinn, oh dear god. To be fair he's a lovely bloke, but please god don't make me listen to him talking about the game. Please.