Ernesto Valverde on Ousmane Dembele: 'Everyone Always Has to Earn Their Place'

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has challenged Ousmane Dembele to earn his place back in the first-team squad. 

The 2019-20 season has been another one of frustration for the France international, with continued injury problems. Dembele was also sent off in the 4-0 win over Sevilla in October, resulting in a two-game suspension.

The winger is available again, but he was left out of the Barcelona squad on Saturday as the team slumped to a shock 3-1 loss to Levante. Speaking ahead of their UEFA Champions League showdown with Slavia Prague on Tuesday, Valverde said the 22-year-old needs to work hard to get chances, per Rob Lancaster of Goal:

"Everyone always has to earn their place—Dembele is no exception," said Valverde. "When he plays, he can stay in that position [if he plays well], as happens to Ansu [Fati], Luis [Suarez], [Antoine] Griezmann or [Gerard] Pique. When you have your chance, you will have to try to stay [in the team]."

While Barcelona lacked a spark in the final third on Saturday, the main issue in the team was their poor defensive play:

Per ESPN FC, the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia has not been a happy hunting ground for Valverde's team recently:

Dembele was linked with a possible move away from Barcelona in the summer, with reports suggesting the La Liga side were willing to include him in a deal that would have seen Neymar return to the club from Paris Saint-Germain.

In the end, neither transfer materialised, and Dembele was left to fight it out for a place in the forward line in Catalonia. With Antoine Griezmann arriving from Atletico Madrid and Ansu Fati emerging earlier in the campaign, competition for a starting spot up top alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez is fierce.

Throughout his Barcelona career, Dembele has failed to find consistency, meaning he's never been considered a first-team regular. 

As relayed by Goal, when he has been handed a chance in 2019-20, Dembele has failed to offer a productive presence:

Per OddsChanger, overall the Frenchman has spent more time on the sidelines than on the field since joining Barcelona in 2017:

If he's fit, Dembele will be hopeful of getting a chance on Tuesday. Against mediocre opposition, it's likely Valverde will take the opportunity to rotate his squad, especially given the manner in which the team crumbled on Saturday.

It has already felt as though Dembele has been in a make-or-break position numerous times in his Barcelona career. However, if he doesn't seize one of these opportunities soon and put together a sustained run of matches, it's difficult to see him succeeding in the long term at the Camp Nou.