He is definitely unique, but to me the most important thing about a player is that are you playing your role well. he's really good at dribbling but if he doesnt release the ball quick enough to surge the attack forward, i rather have someone that doesnt dribble, yet is able to surge to ball forward quicker with a pass. we have to remember what is the reason for dribbling. is it purely to beat a man so we can enjoy the beauty of beating a man? or is it to push the ball forward so we get an extra person in attack before the opponent gets back into position? alot of the times dembele dribbles too much, to the point where that golden passing opportunity slips away.
its the same as if i have a centreback. if his primary job is to defend, then his ability to dribble or shoot is only a bonus. if he cant defend but can attack well, then his attacking prowess better be so damn good where i can see past that flaw.
as of now dembele to me is a good player. he can defend quite well, dribble quite well, pass quite well, but i dont see the attribute that makes him a top class player. hes like a swiss army knife that does kinda everything, just that in my opinion, he's not a top tier swiss army knife.
the argument of dembele can defend better than most cm except dm, he can push the team forward better than most cm except attacking cm, can pass better than more cm except playmakers, is exactly the same as, dembele cant defend as well as a dm, cant dribble as well as an attacking cm, cant pass better than a playmaker. theres 2 side to each argument.
to me a top class player needs a very distinct attribute that makes them irreplaceable in their role, eg pirlo's passing, rudd.v's positioning/finishing. if he doesnt have a 10/10 quality somewhere then he better be 8/10 at everything in order to be a top class swiss army knife. to me dembele is a 9/10 at dribbling, but 7 at everything else. please remember i like demble alot as a player, except i dont think he's top class, and we need someone thats better than him if we want to win the title.
he in my opinion is not someone who can take us there. an absolutely amazing option off the bench though
I've seen a change in Dembele's play the last few games. He's driving forward more, but above that, his approach to passing forward is far more incisive, and he seems to be finding passing lanes between defensive lines much more effectively with more precision and offensive intent. Great to see, along with everything else he gives us as a CM.
It's interesting to watch. He has the footballing ability to get any space that he wants for himself. He can often be the hen that just sits on her egg just because she can, meaning he'll hold onto the ball 'cause he can. The criticisms of him not doing enough with the ball and linking play have often been warranted.100 per cent.
We all know his long standing qualities, mainly his strength to hold and shield the ball and dribble past others.
But he is definitely releasing the ball quicker, and zipping it forward more purposefully.
He's passing more vertically now, less sideways etc
He keeps this up and he'll become one of the best CM's in Europe.
This is what Arsenal fans have to say about him:
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/02/10/arsenal-fans-impressed-with-tottenham-midfielder-mousa-dembele/
Completely agree, how he wasn't given MOM was pretty hilarious. Best player on the pitch by some distance for me.