Repurposed: Mousa Dembélé’s Transition from Mercurial Forward to Deep-lying Playmaker Pt. 1
For most football fans, any mention Mousa Sidi Yaya Dembélé will most likely conjure up memories of one of the most press resistant midfielders of the past decade whose sturdy build and nimble feet made him an integral part of the great Spurs sides of the 2010s who finished 3rd in a two-horse race in 2015–16 and put the pressure on Antonio Conte’s Chelsea in 2016–17. As a result, I was quite surprised to find out that he actually started out as an attacker for AZ Alkmaar and even played there in his first season at Fulham before being moved into central midfield by Martin Jol in 2011–12. This made me curious as to how a player whose game seemed so tailored to central midfield was able to function as an attacker and how he was able to make such a drastic positional change at the relatively old age of 25.
This piece will cover a 5 year span of Dembélé’s career from 2006 to 2011 and will be centered around his playing style at AZ Alkmaar and early on with Fulham, with a sequel detailing his adaptation to and evolution in the midfield role he was best known for during his time at Spurs prior to getting his big move to Guangzhou City in 2019 (I promise that will be the last snipe at Spurs).
Profile
Standing at 1.85m (approx. 6'1") with a stout build, Dembélé possessed an impressive blend of strength, size and balance that allowed him to hold his own with even the most physical defenders. Add in a touch that could kill two birds with one stone and sharp footwork that allowed him to weave his way through crowds of defenders like cones on a training pitch and you had a forward with such a unique blend of physical and technical gifts that meant he could be used in a myriad of ways, although he was never truly able to flourish in any of these roles due to some glaring weaknesses.
His early years saw him being utilized in a variety of attacking roles including a second striker in a flat 4–4–2 as well as in a 4–4–2 diamond, both flanks of a 4–2–3–1 and as a 10 or a lone striker in the same formation. Through the course of this piece, we will cover the skills he brought to each role that made him useful as well as the deficiencies which prevented him from truly making any of those roles his own.
Striker
Strengths
Holdup Play
As mentioned earlier, Dembélé was a very well-built at 6’1" and about 80kg. However, unlike most football players his size, he was far from top-heavy. A combination of ridiculous upper body strength and impressive balance meant he was almost impossible to bring down without being fouled. This along with his ability to kill the ball with his first touch meant he could be used to progress the ball, even if it was simply by means of holding the ball up before passing it backwards or sideways.
Dembélé’s ability to control the ball even from the most awkward angles also meant he could be used almost as a pseudo-target man. With chest control that would make Didier Drogba proud, he could control the ball from a variety of angles and passes from hoofed clearances to throw-in. This meant his sides could also use him as an outlet to get out of their half and relieve any sustained pressure they were under.
Linkup Play
Dembélé also displayed a knack for linking play in and around the box with little flicks and backheels that kept the ball moving and caught the defence unawares. These weren’t a consistent part of his arsenal as he usually preferred to take a touch or two before laying it off, but they were often very accurate whenever he did decide to use them.
Weaknesses
Aerial Duels
Despite his ability to be used as a sort of target man, Dembélé’s utility in that role was hampered massively by his weakness in aerial duels. Due to a combination of inferior heading technique, poor positioning and an inability to read the flight of the ball, he struggled immensely to compete for aerial balls when he couldn’t position himself to control the ball with his chest. He would often get caught under the ball which resulted in him either mistiming his jump or just being unable to get off the ground in time.
This meant he could get bullied in the air not just by towering center backs such as Jaap Stam but also by diminutive fullbacks like Gaël Clichy. As a result, Dembélé was extremely reluctant to even compete in aerial duels if he didn’t absolutely have to, making him a non-factor on set pieces in both boxes where he would often just lurk in areas where he was unlikely to compete for initial contact.
Off-ball Movement
Dembélé’s off-ball movement also left a lot to be desired, an issue which stemmed primarily from his low off-ball workrate. He had a bad habit of showing for the ball when he didn’t have to or just drifting around aimlessly in space. This killed a lot of attacking opportunities for his teams especially in transition as Dembélé’s lack of movement would often congest central areas and limit any passing lanes through the middle of the pitch, thereby forcing the player in possession to either recycle possession or lose the ball.
This also meant his goalscoring output was very poor for an attacker(40 goals in 223 appearances for AZ Alkmaar and Fulham) as his movement in and around the box was also quite atrocious. Dembélé would often completely switch off and stop moving as soon as he’d passed the ball off to a teammate, leading to him lessening his teammate’s passing options but also resulting in his side being unable to put enough numbers in the box as he rarely broke a light jog when trying to get into the box without the ball.
Attacking Midfield (№ 10)
Strengths
Defensive Positioning
When he was playing as the 10 in a 4–2–3–1, Dembélé’s role was mainly to help shut down the opposition’s central progression, a task he was very good at. His awareness of the opposition players’ positions meant he was always quick to track runners while also being intelligent in his positioning when it came to cutting out passing lanes. He was also fairly aggressive in stepping out to the player in possession, often harrying them into difficult passes or forcing them to turn and recycle the ball.
Weaknesses
Poor Positioning in Attack
As mentioned earlier, Dembélé struggled in identifying pockets of space in which to receive. This issue was even worse when he was deployed as an attacking midfielder as he could no longer simply pin himself to the opposition center back before receiving. He was often completely at sea in the middle of the pitch, an issue which made it difficult for his side to retain possession for sustained periods. This also meant he rarely received the ball in areas from which he could actually do any damage with the ball as he usually dropped far too deep and would simply end up recycling the ball.
Lack of Incision
When he did receive the ball in advanced areas, Dembélé was often very safe with his passing. Part of this was due to his tendency to take multiple touches before releasing the ball, an issue which often resulted in him having to recycle the ball as any opportunities to play an incisive pass would be gone. His limited passing range also played a part in this, as it meant he rarely had the confidence to attempt higher difficulty passes. Ironically, this tendency to prioritize safety actually resulted in quite a few cheap giveaways in an attempt to retain possession.
This isn’t to say Dembélé was a poor passer by any means, as he showed he had the vision to attempt some more incisive through balls and line-breaking passes (even if they didn’t often work out). However, these passes usually tended to be from deeper central areas as opposed to the more advanced areas he operated in as a #10 (I believe the kids would refer to this as “foreshadowing”).
Dembélé’s one-footedness also meant he could struggle when receiving on his right, even in space. This could lead to some shaky first touches and although his ridiculous strength, balance and close control meant he didn’t always lose possession, it often resulted in any attacking momentum being brought to an abrupt halt.
Winger
Strengths
Defensive Workrate
Similar to when he played in attacking midfield, Dembélé’s defensive workrate was very impressive, as he would often track back to help his fullback. He was often alert in tracking the opposing fullback’s overlapping runs early, ensuring that his fullback wasn’t isolated 2v1. He was also often quite proactive in winning the ball back as he was adept at using his strength and stout physique to regain possession without fouling.
Vision
Another advantage of playing Dembélé out wide (especially on the right flank) was that he was a far more incisive passer due to the more favourable angles that became available when he was able to cut in on his left foot. Playing as a winger allowed Dembélé more time on the ball to pick his head up and pick a pass and it also simplified the process of finding space to receive as all he needed to do most of the time was stay wider to isolate his fullback 1v1. Upon receiving the ball, Dembélé’s mostly liked to quickly shift the ball onto his left before playing inswinging crosses into the box or crossfield passes.
He also liked to exploit any space in the channels by shaping to cross the ball in before playing a reverse pass into the channels for any underlapping runners.
Carrying from Deep
Operating in wider areas also gave Dembélé the opportunity to embark on some incredible driving runs up the pitch. In order to counter his lack of explosive acceleration, Dembélé would often drop deeper to receive while holding off his marker. This allowed him the space to turn and run at the defence at which point his balletic footwork and sheer power meant he became the physical embodiment of an Unstoppable Force.
When there were too many defenders between him and his goal, he could also come inside and play the ball to his striker’s feet before continuing his run up the pitch.
Weaknesses
Predictability
Although he was more aggressive and expansive while playing as a wide man, Dembélé’s “bag” was also quite limited. His wide turning circle in combination with the aforementioned reliance on his dominant left foot meant he struggled to receive on the backfoot and would often need to take a touch or two before turning. As a result, wilier fullbacks could either stand off him and let him take a touch before nicking the ball away or attempt to get to the ball first.
This predictability also extended to 1v1 situations where Dembélé’s inability to accelerate quickly made it difficult for him to consistently create separation from his marker. This in combination with his tendency to hold onto the ball for far too long meant he would lose the ball fairly by dribbled into traffic in an attempt to cut in on his left foot.
Conclusion
After going through all the games I could find from the early part of Mousa Dembélé’s, I found early Dembélé to be an intriguing player who possessed a unique blend of specialties and flaws which made it very difficult to place him in a particular attacking role. He had the holdup play of a target man but without any aerial ability or goalscoring nous, he was impossible to stop at full flight as a winger but his subpar acceleration and overreliance on his left meant he struggled to consistently spread his wings. This meant he was used mainly as a high-end role player who could “do a job” despite being a unique talent who could singlehandedly change games in the right conditions. In Part Two, we will look at how his profile allowed him to make the transition into central midfield, any teething problems he underwent and how he evolved through the years in that role.
