Ousmane Dembele was given a surprise start by Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman in their clash at Getafe on Saturday night.
But he failed to seize his opportunity, producing a typically inept Dembele performance before being hooked on the hour mark for Ansu Fati.
But how did Dembele perform overall?
📷 Dembele: Match Snapshot
Dembele started as part of a front four featuring Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and the talented teenager Pedri.
And while the latter earned plaudits for his vision and neat passing, it was difficult to find any positives in Dembele's rash display. The winger simply tried too hard when in possession and his passes were either in front of or behind his team-mates.
From 48 touches of the ball, Dembele lost possession 16 times. This kind of statistic is acceptable if the player involved is creating opportunities for his team-mates - for example, Lionel Messi regularly gives the ball away.
But what is more damning in his underlying attacking numbers. No shots, no key passes, and what's worse, his expected goals (xG) and expected assists (xA) were both zero for the 62 minutes he was on the field.
He did complete three dribbles, but two of these were dribbling away from goal and not into areas of penetration. The aggressive Allan Nyom on the right dealt with him comfortably and it was no surprise to see him replaced.
His performance earned him a 5.8 FC Rating.
〽️ Dembele: Rating Week-on-Week
❌ DECLINE
Dembele's last match was featuring in the closing stages of the win over Villarreal, where he recorded a 6.0 FC Rating. But here his performance regressed, despite being on the pitch for longer, down to a 5.8 FC Rating.
🗝️ Key Stats
Dembele match stats
| Statistic | Value | Notes |
| FC Rating | 5.8 | Lowest Rated Barca player |
| Mins Played | 62 | |
| Touches | 48 | |
| Shots | 0 | |
| On Target | 0 | |
| Key Passes | 0 | |
| Possession Lost | 16 | Rank #1 |
Dembele: What Next?
Dembele has many people on his side, because he has had to recover from two serious injuries that have dented his ability to succeed at Barcelona. But it's clear that time and patience are running out. He will need to produce something, and soon, because performances like this just won't be tolerated considering the attacking options available.
Lionel Messi 
Ousmane Dembélé 
Barcelona 
