In Leipzig on Friday, it was Aurelien Tchouameni's turn to defend Ousmane Dembele after another maddeningly ineffective display for France.
"Everything is fine, he is an exceptional player," the midfielder told reporters after the dour 0-0 draw with the Netherlands. "Ousmane is very important in our system. We know that this type of player achieves a lot of things and that he will perhaps miss things, it's normal."
That last part is undeniably true. Dembele has successfully normalised his wastefulness. Inefficiency is now an accepted part of his game.
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