But what happens to Antoine Griezmann? Between Atlético Madrid and the France team, it’s been 21 games in a row that the Blues striker hasn’t found the net. His coming into play against Croatia last Monday (1-1) is a good illustration of the difficult period that the man who meant so much to Didier Deschamps is going through. Uninspired, lacking in efficiency and isolated on the attacking front, Antoine Griezmann ends this season in pain. Before the last two Nations League matches against Austria and against Croatia, and especially in anticipation of the World Cup in Qatar, concern is in order. “Grizou”, his nickname, brain of the Blues for almost six years, is he inevitably on the decline?
For now, his coach maintains his confidence. At a press conference this week, Didier Deschamps recalled that Griezmann experienced a physical glitch which may explain this poor form. “There’s a physical part, a mental part. As I told you, he suffered his first injury this season. I’m not saying it’s worn out. I know his qualities and his mind too. He does not balk. It’s not his best period, but that doesn’t mean I question what he’s capable of doing. I know very well what he can bring to the collective. »
Nevertheless with such a low, difficult to continue to justify the indisputable status of Griezmann if this scarcity persists. Asked by Le Point, Mickaël of the YouTube channel “Talk My Football” believes that the 2018 world champion has changed his role irreversibly. He studied his poor form in a video and explains the reasons for this sudden drop. “For me, the problems are multiple. Obviously, his realism in the face of goals raises questions, both at club and in selection, and can now be considered as a real subject. I nevertheless remain hopeful that with good physical preparation and a second season at Atlético, he will resume his good reflexes. »
For the first time since 2016, Didier Deschamps has decided to leave Griezmann on the bench for an international meeting outside of a friendly match. The sign that the Atlético Madrid player must be preserved. “On the other hand, it must also be borne in mind that the Griezmann of 2022 will never again be placed in the France team, as he was in the past. With Mbappé now unavoidable and the return of Benzema, Deschamps can no longer make France an organized team for the sole purpose of making him shine, and that is bound to be a little detrimental to him,” says Mickaël.
No one tackles, intercepts and runs like Griezmann at his post.
How do you find the trigger in such a situation? After having chained the seasons with more than 20 goals in Spain, Antoine Griezmann has only scored eight goals this season for Atlético. “We tend to say that forwards run on confidence and that goals are ‘like ketchup’. It’s hard not to think of Griezmann with this formula, especially since he has the reputation of being a player who works a lot on affect. His form is also crucial and he appears less imperial than at the time in this area, the fault perhaps of a physical preparation of Barcelona which was less adapted to him than that of Atlético. Inevitably, it plays, “explains Mickaël. With 42 achievements, Griezmann remains to this day the third top scorer in the history of the Blues, behind Thierry Henry and Olivier Giroud.
Although he enjoys an indisputable status in the eyes of his coach, the 31-year-old striker sees competition for his position increasing. Christopher Nkunku, irresistible with Leipzig and author of two convincing performances on this international window, is the perfect example. From there to imagine “Grizou” sliding on the bench? “Nkunku is clearly a serious threat,” says Mickaël. Both on his intrinsic level and on his profile where he is not stingy in pressing actions either, he has everything to please Deschamps. »
“Still, Griezmann is a balancing player with his efforts even more generous than those of an Nkunku. No one tackles, intercepts, runs like Griezmann at his post. As a result, his future seems to me as much linked to his own ability to rebound as to the balance that Deschamps will be able to find in the other positions. To achieve a good feeling, Antoine Griezmann should in any case start this Friday evening in Austria in support of Karim Benzema. The latter also experienced a long scarcity in selection, before finally experiencing a saving release. A destiny that the number 7 of the France team hopes to follow as soon as possible.
