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Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman was not happy with Antoine Griezmann’s finishing in Sunday’s 1-1 La Liga draw with Sevilla at the Camp Nou.
The game is the first time Barcelona have dropped points under Koeman since he took charge of the club in August, although they remain unbeaten in the league in 2020-21.
Griezman once again started the game but failed to find the back of the net and was guilty of wasting some good opportunities. He was substituted in the second half, and Koeman spoke to reporters after the match about the France international.
“The change the other day was tactical. With Ansu we have more depth and speed, something we needed in Vigo with one less. Today he had two chances and, due to his quality, he should have scored in one of those two plays.”
Griezmann will now head away from Barcelona for the next fortnight as he’s been called up by the France team for games against Ukraine, Portugal, and Croatia.
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Griezmann’s Struggles at Barcelona Continue
Barcelona signed Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for €120 million in July 2019, but the 29-year-old has struggled to make the sort of impact expected from a player with such a huge price tag.
He finished last season with 15 goals in all competitions for Barcelona, a respectable return, but never quite seemed to find a natural place in the starting XI.
Griezmann’s struggles have continued under new boss Ronald Koeman. He is yet to provide a goal or an assist in 185 minutes of action in 2020-21.
Perhaps tellingly he was also sacrificed in Barca’s 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Thursday. Koeman opted to take Griezmann off and bring on center-back Ronald Araujo after Clement Lenglet had been sent off.
Indeed Griezmann has been outshone this season so far by 17-year-old starlet Ansu Fati, who has three goals in three games, and the returning Philippe Coutinho who is back from a season on loan at Bayern Munich.
The Brazilian also struggled at Barcelona in his first spell at the Camp Nou after arriving with a big price tag from Liverpool but has two assists and a goal in three games for the Catalan giants in 2020-21.
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