BarçaBarça
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Cant score goals from the bench.
I think you underestimate Valverde on this one, maybe even Suarez is rested (along with Iniesta), but maybe that is wishful thinking.
Cant score goals from the bench.
Barca has designed a plan to accelerate his adaptation to the club.
The last two times Dembele tried to start a "revolution" he injured himself, hopefully things end differently this time around.
Valverde the safest coach Barca has had in the past 20 years.
During his injury, only a few visits were made by his teammates. He spent weeks at a hospital, at home, and played video games to pass time. The only people he talked to were his friends who live in France through video calls.
Dembélé had asked the board to find him three different houses; one for him and his brother, one for his mother, and one for his father. His parents have had some issues and preferred not to live together.
Barça tried to find three houses right next to each other, but it was not possible. They all live together and family problems have affected the winger. Also, the club found out he was eating food that should not be eaten by a professional footballer.
His family and Dembélé are Muslim and strictly eat halal food. He did not like the meals cooked for him at the Ciutat Esportiva and foods that were being cooked at his home were unhealthy and full of fat.
Just recently, Barça decided to step in to change his lifestyle. They hired a halal chef to make meals for him at the Ciutat Esportiva and at home for dinner.
The language barrier also made it difficult for him to adapt. For quite a while, the only players he talked to were Digne and Umtiti. The heavyweights in the locker room have shown regret in not talking to Dembélé more.
The recent training sessions have shown that Dembélé looks much happier. His teammates have also made an effort to create a bond with him, something that was missing in his first few months in Barcelona.
After adapting to the changes made in the past few weeks, Valverde is most likely to start Dembélé against Girona. The next few games will decide his fate for the second leg against Chelsea.
It also should be noted that Dembélé did tell the club he only ate halal food, but the club took his statements as 'vegetarian.'