Getty Antoine Griezmann celebrates with Riqui Puig
Barcelona new signing Memphis Depay has talked up his growing relationship with Antoine Griezmann and feel he already has a “good connection” with the France international.
The two players both made an impact in Saturday’s pre-season friendly win over Stuttgart. Memphis scored his second goal in two games for his new club, while Griezmann picked up an assist after teeing up Riqui Puig in a 3-0 victory.
The Dutch has been full of praise for Griezmann and has spoken about how the two have already looked to link-up in their short time together on the pitch for Barcelona in an interview with TV3.
“Yes, in the last two games he has often looked for me between the lines. He looks for me when I do a run and I also try to look for him myself,” he said. “He is a player with great quality, with great technical quality, intelligent qualities. You can see that sometimes we have a good connection.”
Memphis and Griezmann will be hoping to be a regular part of the Barcelona attack next season alongside captain Lionel Messi but will know there’s stiff competition for places in 2021-22. Ronald Koeman has plenty of options with Sergio Aguero also having arrived this summer and Ansu Fati expected to return shortly after a long spell out with knee trouble.
Injured duo Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho will also be hoping to feature once back to full fitness, while Martin Braithwaite is also an option and youngster Yusuf Demir has looked impressive in pre-season after arriving on loan from Rapid Vienna.
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Memphis Focused On Barcelona Success
Barcelona heads into the new season aiming to improve on a disappointing campaign last time out. The Catalan giants won the Copa del Rey but only finished third in La Liga and went out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage.
Memphis added that he is hungry for titles and is completely focused on bringing silverware to the club during his stay at the Camp Nou.
“I came to win titles. It’s a great club with a great history. The players here are used to winning titles. That’s why I came to help the team win titles,” he added. “Blind and deaf to the world. It’s basically focused tunnel vision. I don’t feel anything, I don’t see anything and I focus. I think in life sometimes it’s important to have tunnel vision and be really focused, and so you can give the best version of yourself without distractions.”
Koeman Praises Memphis
There’s no doubt that Memphis has made an impressive start to his Barca career in pre-season, with goals against Girona and Stuttgart. Coach Ronald Koeman has certainly liked what he has seen and spoke about this compatriot after Barca’s win in Germany, as reported by Marca.
“People know about Memphis because he was at Manchester United and Lyon. Today, he showed he can score as he scored the first with an individual piece of play. With his play, speed and strength, he gives other things to the team,” he said. “His partnership with Antoine Griezmann was very good. We have players who can play in different positions in attack. We’ll also have Sergio Aguero. I hope Leo [Messi] returns too. So, we have quality up front.”
Memphis is expected to be a regular in attack under Koeman, particularly because the two men know each other well from working together with the Netherlands national team. The 27-year-old thrived under the Dutch coach for the Oranje and could prove an astute signing if he can replicate that form at the Camp Nou.
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