“Yes, there is an injury to Dembélé.” Xavi Hernández did not hide his concern nor did he evade the question about the state of the French winger who left the field in minute 26 after noticing a puncture in his left thigh. The mishap was as clear as the Barça coach’s diagnosis: “Yes, there is an injury to Dembélé.”
And injury meant a muscle tear whose length would be known through medical tests that could not be carried out in Montilivi. The first review of the doctors detected that break. He will be out for around three weeks. Dembélé was also the first forecast. If so, he would jeopardize his competition in the Europa League tie against Manchester United (February 16 and 23).
[COMUNICADO MÉDICO]
The tests carried out this afternoon on the first team player Ousmane Dembélé have shown that he is suffering from an injury to the rectus femoris of the left thigh. He is low and evolution will mark his availability pic.twitter.com/m6iAvaaoha
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) January 28, 2023
Upon arriving in Barcelona, Dembélé underwent various medical tests that confirmed the existence of this muscle injury, although the time he must be out was not specified. “The tests have shown that he suffers an injury in the rectus femoris of the left thigh. It is low and the evolution will mark his availability”, the Barcelona entity has indicated.
13 months later
Dembélé had not been injured since November 2021 when he suffered a mishap in the semimembranosus muscle of his left leg, just the next game after reappearing from the knee injury that had occurred in the summer while playing with France. He was out for 20 days, but only missed two games. The density of the calendar in the coming weeks will make the drop in it more sensitive.
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“It’s a pity because we lose our most differential man and who was giving us a lot,” lamented Xavi, who was not consoled by the immediate reappearance, next Wednesday, of the suspended Lewandowski and Ferran. The absence of Dembélé was corrected with the entry of Pedri, who in the end turned out to be the author of the decisive goal of the victory.
Pedri had the success and the ambition to look for the goal to take advantage of Alba’s poisoned cross waiting in the Gazzaniga area. “We don’t dare at all,” Xavi complained about the nervousness he experienced in the epilogue of the match, when Girona put victory at risk. “We lack daring”, repeated the technician, remembering, reproaching, their footballers, that they do not explore all the possible ones to score goals. This Barça does not center balls, does not shoot from outside the area, does not look for the “definitive pass that breaks lines”, protested Xavi.