Paris (AFP)

With the approach of the next list of the Blues, unveiled Thursday by Didier Deschamps, Antoine Griezmann found the net with Barcelona during a disappointing weekend for Paul Pogba, partly responsible for the defeat of Manchester United against Arsenal.

- Breathless Pogba -

Between a very short truce, a busy schedule and a recent Covid-19 contamination, Paul Pogba is struggling at the start of the season in a Manchester United on alternating current.

Sunday against Arsenal, the world champion caused the penalty which gave the Gunners their first victory (1-0) at Old Trafford since 2006, with an out-of-the-way intervention on Hector Bellerin.

"I can't do that kind of fault. Maybe I lacked a little lucidity, I thought I would take the ball and it didn't and I cost us the goal today with this penalty ", he commented by way of mea culpa.

But beyond this fact of the game, it was his whole match that seemed out of time, Pogba making the wrong choices, giving the balls in the wrong timing, while he was tenured in his privileged position, to left of a middle four in diamond.

As against Leipzig four days earlier (5-0) in C1, where the "Pickaxe" had managed an assist.

- Griezmann touches on goal -

Finally !

After seven matches, Antoine Griezmann has finally unlocked his goal counter at FC Barcelona this season, on Saturday at Alavés (1-1).

The striker allowed Barça to avoid a third consecutive defeat thanks to a ball judiciously recovered and subtly stung above the goalkeeper (63rd).

A big relief for the 29-year-old world champion (83 caps), who had a bad run at the start of the season: "Grizi" missed out on his match at Getafe (1-0 defeat) in La Liga, was put on the bench at the opening of the Champions League against the Hungarians Ferencvaros (5-1), then during the clasico lost 3-1 against Real Madrid.

Positioned in the axis, his preferred position, in October against Portugal (0-0) and Croatia (1-2), in support of Mbappé-Giroud or Mbappé-Martial, Griezmann is confined to the right wing at Barça ... but seems to be starting to find in a club the spontaneity which is its strength in Blue.

"I have nothing to say about his attitude, neither in training nor in match, because he always tries to do the maximum," assured his coach Ronald Koeman on Friday.

- Rabiot on the attack -

Start at the limit of offside in the back of the defense, dribble full of cold blood and small flat foot in finesse to conclude with the foot must: Adrien Rabiot, who entered the second half, participated in the awakening of Juventus on Sunday against la Spezia (4-1).

This is only the second goal in Italy in the bianconero jersey of the ex-Paris SG midfielder, but it is still full of class, as the very first scored against AC Milan in July, after a crazy ride concluded with a strike from the left in the skylight.

Four days after the collective suffering of Juve against Barcelona (0-2) in the Champions League, especially in midfield, this goal especially reassured everyone about his state of form after running into a vacuum on Wednesday.

The Tuttosport newspaper, recalling that it only took six minutes to score, gave it a good mark (7), like the Gazzetta dello sport who wrote: "Of the five circles, he is the one who does things the simplest and most direct. He scored straight away because he has the legs, the positioning and seems in line with the new philosophy "of the coach Andrea Pirlo.

- Aouar, the roller coaster -

Sunday in Lille (1-1), Houssem Aouar experienced a roller coaster evening.

A month after his first selection with the Blues, the young 22-year-old midfielder was first varnished by causing Lyon to equalize: his shot off target bounced off Lille's Zeki Celik to deceive Mike Maignan.

It was also he who had launched Karl Toko Ekambi and Tino Kadewere for a two-against-one spoiled by the two attackers.

But despite his role in the offensive animation, he was sacrificed by Rudi Garcia after the exclusion of central defender Marcelo at the start of the second half (50th).

© 2020 AFP