EDITORIAL - "Antoine Griezmann is nothing more than a replacement, it hurts"

Antoine Griezmann is going through difficult times at FC Barcelona. He is sidelined. It is starting to be worrying for him and for the French team, and he must show his character. Finally, I am quite happy that the Euro is not taking place at the moment. A French team with an Antoine Griezmann in top form is not exactly the same as the Blues with a ghostly Antoine Griezmann. And if the competition had taken place now, we would have rather been entitled to the shadow of the player we know. The French striker is nothing more than a replacement for FC Barcelona. A bench cleaner.

It hurts to say it since he is also the only world champion of this team and that the Catalans spent 120 million euros to bring him last summer. Initially, during the first months, we thought that he had to acclimatize to his new club, that he found affinities on the ground with his teammates. But in fact time does not change anything. Finally, if: it is getting worse and worse. Antoine Griezmann started on bench 3 of the last 4 Barça matches. His coach even made him come back 3 minutes from the end against his former club, Atletico de Madrid, this week.

This is more reminiscent of the treatment of a young person just out of the training center than a world champion. Honestly, we have never seen a player of his rank treated like that. If FC Barcelona played perfect scores without him, we would understand. But given the poverty of what this team shows on the ground, we inevitably ask questions. So is Lionel Messi the problem? He's one of them, that's for sure.

Since the arrival of Antoine Griezmann in Barcelona, ​​we made tons of his nonexistent relationships with Lionel Messi, the player who makes the rain and the good weather in the locker room and on the field. It is true that the agreement of the two men in the game is not obvious. From there to make them sworn enemies, you have to calm down a bit. But it is complicated to attract the favors of Messi, a sixfold golden balloon who does not like that one walks on its flowerbeds. Antoine Griezmann has wanted to play it low profile until now. It does not work. He will have to change tactics and show his strength of character. Anyway, Griezmann does not want to leave FC Barcelona this summer. And so much the better. It would be admitting defeat a little early for a player of his caliber.

And anyway, with the crisis, there are quite a few clubs that can afford it. So you might as well persevere, show your temper, and assert yourself against Messi. No, he is not the only boss. It is time to tell him. It would be good for Griezmann, for Barça, and for the Blues. In fact it is not even that it would be good, it is especially that he has no choice. Because another season like this before the Euro would be moderately reassuring.