Karamoko Dembele’s popular amongst the Blackpool faithful and his manager – but there’s still something that is alluding him.
Neil Critchley has expressed reservations about Karamoko Dembele’s current ability to complete a full 90-minute match for Blackpool but assures that he will support Dembele’s development.
Dembele is considered one of the most dynamic players in the squad, exciting Bloomfield Road fans when he possesses the ball. He made his under-20’s debut for Celtic at the incredibly young age of 13, garnering attention for his early promise. Currently on a season-long loan from French side Brest, Dembele has yet to finish a full match for Blackpool, with his closest attempt being in a 3-1 loss to Derby County, during which he provided an assist.
Out of the seven league games he has played so far, he has only started two, including the recent win against Cheltenham. The challenge now lies in Dembele starting more games for Blackpool and gradually working up to completing full 90-minute appearances, a feat that Critchley believes he is not yet ready for.
Critchley explained, “If you look at his development and playing history, he hasn’t played a lot or had many starting opportunities. It’s important to understand where he stands and support his growth. Young players go through this journey. At 20, the next step for him is to play and start games more regularly and try to finish games as well. It won’t happen right away where he plays 90 minutes every game from the start. Sometimes you have to introduce them and then withdraw them, similar to Kylian Kouassi.”
He continued, “We all want to see them play for 90 minutes every week, but they’re not quite ready yet. They’re not in their late twenties or thirties with 400 league games under their belt. It’s different for them. We’re all impatient and want to see them on the field, but risking injury or burnout is not what we want.”
Dembele, a London-born winger, has scored two goals and provided an assist in the nine games he’s played for the club. He primarily occupies the right side of the attack but was used as an attacking midfielder against Cheltenham Town, where he scored in 66 minutes of play.
His ability to excite fans and take on defenders is reminiscent of players who came before him, such as Josh Bowler and Keshi Anderson, who now play in the Championship. Dembele’s natural game is geared toward offensive play, but efforts have been made to enhance his defensive skills. At 20 years old, he has time to improve aspects of his game, including defending, but his current manager does not want to inhibit his natural talent, especially his vibrant dribbling.
Critchley added, “You have to give them freedom. Playing for his team in France, he spent a lot of time on the right side of the pitch. He has improved his defensive abilities in France, which I agree with. You don’t want to stifle him. It’s similar to when we had Josh Bowler and Keshi Anderson here. You have to grant them a certain amount of freedom to let them express themselves. They know they need to secure the ball in specific areas of the pitch, but in the final third, it’s about letting them do what they’re good at. They may make mistakes, but we encourage them to keep doing it. Watching Karamoko is a delight; his skills excite fans, and everyone enjoys it, myself included. I get as thrilled as the fans when Karamoko gets the ball.”
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