Luis Enrique lauds two-goal Dembele's influence for PSG
Ousmane Dembele continued his fine run of form with two goals against Brest in the Champions League, earning praise from the PSG head coach.
Luis Enrique lauded Ousmane Dembele's display in Paris Saint-Germain's 3-0 win over Brest in their Champions League play-off first-leg victory on Tuesday.
Dembele starred at Stade du Roudourou, scoring twice either side of half-time to follow up Vitinha's 21st minute penalty to seal a comfortable win for PSG.
The Frenchman has now scored 18 goals in his last 11 appearances for PSG in all competitions. Indeed, since the start of December, Dembele has netted more times than any other player across Europe's top five leagues.
Furthermore, he became the first PSG player to score in eight consecutive outings in all competitions since Neymar between May and August 2022 (eight).
Against Brest, Dembele also registered team-high totals for shots (seven), touches in the opposition box (nine) and expected goals (xG) (1.17).
"You'd have to ask him what he ate at Christmas. He is a player full of confidence," Luis Enrique told reporters.
"Back when I played PlayStation as a kid, he was the kind of player you'd choose when you needed someone to change the game.
"He was already good last season, but in 2025 he is even better. You can see his team-mates looking for him and finding him. He has an impeccable attitude."
Demebele took his overall goal involvements tally for the season across all competitions to 29 (23 goals, six assists) in 28 appearances on Tuesday, with the Frenchman quickly filling the attacking void left by Kylian Mbappe last summer.
But he was quick to praise his team-mates for his current form, saying: "It wasn't easy. Brest are a team we know very well.
"We stayed focused from beginning to end and got the job done. But it is not over yet, so we need to remain focused on finishing it off at the Parc des Princes.
"I think the team are in a good dynamic. Everyone is focused and playing really well and that helps me to score goals if I am in the right position to finish the chances."
PSG scored three or more goals in four consecutive Champions League games for a second time, previously doing so between September and November 2017 (a run of five).
It was also the first time the Parisiens had kept an away clean sheet in the knockout stages since a 2-0 win at Manchester United back in February 2019.
And with the home leg on February 19 to come at the Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique acknowledged his side were in a good position to reach the last 16 of the competition.
"There is a consistency that makes the team better. Brest made us suffer. We defended well. Our team is built to attack. We are on a very good run," Luis Enrique said.