Dembele: PSG has to come first, not individual players

Ousmane Dembele slammed Paris Saint-Germain’s performance in their defeat to Rennes, insisting the players must put the club before themselves.

PSG lost 3-1 to Rennes on Friday, meaning Lens could return to top spot in Ligue 1 if they beat Paris FC on Saturday.

Luis Enrique’s side failed to win despite producing 3.62 expected goals (xG), their second-highest total without a win in all competitions under the Spaniard (4.54 against Newcastle United in the Champions League).

PSG have already lost six times after 35 games in all competitions this season (W21 D8), their highest total number of defeats after the same number of games in a single season since 2020-21 (eight).

Dembele, who scored PSG’s only goal in the defeat, believes his team-mates must start to show more fight if they want to replicate their achievements from last season.

“We started the match very poorly,” Dembele told Ligue 1+. “Rennes played a very good game, but I think we need to show more desire.

“Above all, we have to play for PSG in order to win matches. If we play as individuals on the pitch, it won’t work, we won’t win the titles we want.

“Last season, we put the club before everything else, before thinking about ourselves. We have to rediscover that, especially in these matches.

“We know we’re in the second half of the season. And Paris Saint-Germain has to come first, not individual players.”

8 – Défaites du Paris SG en Ligue 1 sous QSI

Rennes – 8
Monaco – 7
Lyon – 6

BêteNoire. #SRFCPSG #Ligue1McDonalds pic.twitter.com/NUU7W6hM9i

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) February 13, 2026

Rennes have now beaten PSG for the eighth time in Ligue 1 under the QSI ownership (in 29 games) and are the team against whom the Parisiens have lost to most often in the top flight during that period.

Luis Enrique praised Rennes for their display, but has called on his side to do better.

“It’s a difficult analysis to make because I think we dominated the first half, creating a lot of chances, but we went in at half-time trailing 1–0,” he told the club website.

“Afterwards, we created a lot, we had almost four expected goals but only scored one, whereas Rennes created fewer than two but scored three goals. Given that they were that efficient, they deserve to win.

“We need to improve, we’re annoyed because this result means a little less confidence for the team. And the opponent feels they can win, and in that sense, it’s more difficult for us.”