The €120 million that Barcelona paid for Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann seems like an absolute bust a year later. Especially considering that Griezmann has been a shadow of his former self at Camp Nou despite the arrival of new coach Ronald Koeman at Camp Nou.
The French attacker has not been played in his natural position out through the centre and has instead being placed on the right wing which formerly belonged to Lionel Messi.
National Coach Didier Deschamps has noticed his prized asset’s plight at Barcelona and has advised Koeman to look at the France national team to see how he can get the best out of the 29-year-old.
“I am sure he is not happy with this situation,” Didier Deschamps said earlier this week. “I don’t interfere with the use of my players in other clubs, be at Barca or anyone else.
“Antoine is playing on the right there at the moment. It’s true that Koeman said, and told him, that he did not understand that he was used to playing in a more central position.”
From a more tactical point of view, the problem arises due to the team being built around a star player of the stature of Lionel Messi.
Although it is undisputed that Messi is vital in leading the attack, his contribution to tracking back and defending is minimal, which is one of the reasons why Barcelona have been so shaky in the right-back position ever since the departure of their star right-back Dani Alves.
Hence, following the departure of Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid, Koeman’s decision of playing Messi out through the centre makes sense because of the Argentinian’s versatility to lead the frontline.
However, Griezmann is still being played out of position and it is safe to say that the modification of the duties given to the Frenchman are hindering his overall performances at Camp Nou.
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