Team Focus: Dembélé Decisive for Rennes in Hope Versus Hopeless

Rolland Courbis is not famed for keeping his head down, but his post-match press conference at the weekend began with an uncharacteristic step away from the night’s main theme. “It’s not on an evening when a colleague quits that I’m going to brag,” he said after his Rennes team’s extraordinary comeback win at Toulouse, which pushed Les Violets even deeper into relegation trouble and his counterpart Dominique Arribagé into resigning. Having left Montpellier just before Christmas, the memories of such pain and such a sense of impotence are fresh for Courbis.

All power to the former Marseille boss, then, in bouncing back in such prompt and unexpected fashion, in the image of his new team on Saturday night. It has been a whirlwind month for the Brittany club and their new coach, who was appointed as president René Ruello’s adviser on January 12th and then promoted to replace the sacked Philippe Montanier eight days later.

Already, Courbis has started to build a reputation for himself in his new surrounds having dragged an extra ounce or two of fortitude out of his new charges. As the clock ticked to 90 minutes at Stadium Municipal, lowly Toulouse led 1-0. By the time Stéphane Jochem blew the final whistle, Les Rouges et Noirs had snared three points to accompany them on their return journey north.

It was the latest, and most spectacular, in Rennes’ recent series of salvage acts under the new man. After last-gasp winners at home to Gazélec Ajaccio and Angers, sandwiching an 89th-minute equaliser to snatch a point at Lille, the concept of ‘Le Courbis Time’, as beIN Sports has it, is developing a life of its own.

Another specialist in late drama was at the heart of things in Haute-Garonne, with Kamil Grosicki netting the later-than-late winner. Rennes were actively shopping the Poland midfielder to potential buyers in January, and he has started just 6 times this season. They will be glad he stayed now. Grosicki’s busy style comes into its own in the closing stages of games, and his strike that downed Toulouse was his 7th of the season – 6 of them have been scored after Grosicki has joined the action from the bench, twice as many goals as a substitute than any other Ligue 1 player.

He wasn’t the central figure in Saturday’s great escape, though. At just 18, Ousmane Dembélé has already developed into the key man for a team, and a squad, that sometimes seems to lack a clear identity. Dembélé already has the personality to stand up when it matters. After expertly poaching the equaliser at Toulouse, he was the architect of Grosicki’s winner with a wonderfully judged pass into the right channel. His man of the match rating of 8.95 was well deserved.

Coming through for Rennes at the vital moment is no longer a novelty for the youngster. He had the nerve to take the penalty for that late leveller at Lille. In the derby win at Guingamp before Christmas, it was Dembélé who scored the opener before laying on a clinching goal for Giovanni Sio. His modest, boy-next-door demeanour masks an uncommon confidence and determination.

All in all, Dembélé has 6 goals and 3 assists in his 12 starts to date, directly implicating him in 25% of his side’s goals, and that having only made his Rennes first-team debut this season. Those numbers, though, only begin to tell us about his willingness to assume leadership of the team’s attacking effort. Dembélé’s most notable characteristic is his dribbling, opening space in opposing defences – he makes 4.3 per match, more than anybody else in Ligue 1. Yet he is also judicious on the ball, making 1.7 key passes per match and keeping his shots on goal down to a relatively modest 2.1.

This effort has been hugely important in keeping Rennes in touch with the European places. Golden boy Paul-Georges Ntep has struggled with injury, limiting him to just 11 starts this campaign, and Sio hasn’t yet scored in this calendar year. Yoann Gourcuff is only beginning to take baby steps back into action, and Juan Fernando Quintero is yet to weigh in heavily, having started only 9 times (for 1 goal and 2 assists).

Yet as it stands, they are in sixth place but just a point behind Lyon in third, even after last year’s runners-up disposed of Paris Saint-Germain in fine fashion on Sunday night. The chaotic nature of Rennes’ campaign (Courbis has presided over 3 wins, a draw and 3 defeats in Ligue 1) can’t hide the fact that any sort of consistent run could see them fulfil their ambitions. Likewise, the delivery of Saturday’s victory shouldn’t obscure a more even general performance, dominating possession (56.2%) and the shot count (18-6). Maybe the real miracle would have been if Rennes hadn’t won.

While Courbis’ thoughts for his counterpart are admirable, the contrast of Arribagé’s recent fortunes to his own decisive influence are unavoidable. A loyal club man – who president Olivier Sadran has emphasised will stay at Téfécé in another capacity – was forced out by a miserable 22% win rate. Moreover, Arribagé’s erstwhile side have the astonishing record of having lost a possible 26 points this season after taking the lead in matches. It all underlines Courbis’ promising first month of work.

The past, as it turns out, is the future. Under Courbis, Rennes could yet pluck some glorious reward from this strangest of seasons.

How impressed have you been with Ousmane Dembele's progress this season? Let us know in the comments below