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Antoine Griezmann has been told he shouldn’t hesitate to leave Barcelona after struggling to make an impact at the Camp Nou following his big-money move from Atletico Madrid in summer 2019.
The World Cup winner has not managed a goal or an assist this season and has started the club’s last two games on the bench. Former France international Bixente Lizarazu has told Telefoot, as reported by AS, that Griezmann would be better off departing the Catalan giants.
Griezmann is great. He’s a very, very good player and he’s fantastic for France. But he isn’t at all for Barcelona. This is a real problem. He went to Barcelona with a dream of playing with Lionel Messi, but unfortunately there is no technical relationship between the two.
He cannot find his position, he can no longer play football with Barça. It’s a crisis of confidence. At some point it is better to cut off your hand than your arm. Do not hesitate to leave when you cannot find your place. It’s been 18 months, not just two… the situation is really critical.
Griezmann cost Barca €120 million when he signed from La Liga rivals Atleti. He has gone on to make 53 appearances in total for the club, scoring 15 goals and contributing four assists.
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Coutinho Injury Could Help Griezmann
There’s no doubt that Griezmann has struggled to find a natural place in the Barcelona team, but he could be set for a recall now Philippe Coutinho has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Manager Ronald Koeman could opt to use Griezmann as a No. 9 or a No. 10 while the Brazilian is out. The Frenchman has been used out wide on the right so far this season which is not his natural position.
Indeed France boss Didier Deschamps questioned Koeman’s decision to play Griezmann on the right during the last international break, as reported by Goal.
I don’t interfere with the use of my players in other clubs, be at Barca or anyone else. Antoine is playing on the right there at the moment. It’s true that Koeman said, and told him, that he did not understand that he was used to playing in a more central position. But Antoine must also adapt today.
For me, he is still more effective when he is in the heart of the game, when he is able to touch the ball a lot. In that position, he has the possibility to come and help in the midfield too. He doesn’t have the ability to take the ball and beat opponents on the wing like others. He needs to touch the ball a lot and he is smart in his movement.
Griezmann also appeared to take a swipe at Koeman after scoring for France in their Nations League win over Croatia earlier this month. He said after the match that he felt good because “the coach knows where to put me,” as reported by L’Equipe.
There’s a growing sense that this could well end up being a make or break season for Griezmann at Barcelona. The Frenchman has not had the impact expected from a player with such a huge price tag and continues to look ill-suited to the Catalan giants.
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