Ousmane Dembele Quotes

I experienced that the ball is the most important thing. When you have the ball, the other team really can't do anything.

Ball security is job security here.

When you touch the ball 400 times per game, it's normal that you can lose the ball a couple of times.

If you don't take care of the ball in this league, I know it's tough to win.

You have to be secure with the ball. You can't lose it.

Put all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket.

It's my job, first and foremost, to take care of the football. Guys work their tails off. That's Football 101. From the time you play youth ball to high school, college, pro, every level, that's the starting point for every quarterback. You have to take care of the ball.

Rushing the ball is all about ball control. If you run the ball, you control the clock. If you control the clock, you usually control the game.

Look at the best dribblers in the world, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, and the ball seems to stick to their foot, so I can work on that when I am dribbling.

Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people to get you the ball.

Sometimes you can get sloppy and control the ball right at your feet, and that gives the defenders a chance.

I know God is watching out for me, and he's saying, 'OK, son, watch your step now. You can be in these places, but just be careful. Keep your guard up.'

When we have to defend, I just try to recover the ball for the team because it's important, but I always try to go forward when we have the ball.

I like to control the ball and analyse the game.

Normally, I play in midfield where I'm challenging the players and trying to take the ball.

I don't want to get good at throwing off schedule because I don't want to be off schedule. I want to have my protections to be solid, I want to be in the right play, and I want to get the ball out of my hands as quick as possible.

I have to make sure that we're in the right plays and I can get the ball out quickly and get into our playmakers' hands.

I've got two kids and a missus. I don't want problems after boxing. You need to be careful.

The most important thing to me is how hard we go after the ball and take care of it.

That's the unpredictable part, and that's what worries every coach: Protect the football. That's why, when you go into a ballgame, you may be favored, but there's no guarantee you're going to win it.

This is one of the challenges we have: knowing that playing without the ball is just as important as when you have the ball.

We have to stay focused on every possession.

When teams train now, it is about what they do with the ball and, if they lose it, how quickly they press to win it back.

I always try and get as many as touches as I can with the ball because that's the most important thing for me as a player is to feel comfortable in that way.

In general, I like to always be in contact with the ball.