Griezmann desperately needs to leave Barcelona to restart career
Paul Macdonald
- Updated: 31 Aug 2021 16:45 BST
- 3 min read
Antoine Griezmann hasn't become a bad player, he's become a different, and less effective one, and in order to get back to his best he probably needs a move away from Barcelona.
Deadline day rumours suggest an outlandish swap with Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix and Griez heading in the opposite direction, and while it's very unlikely to happen at this point, it does show that the Frenchman knows it's not working.
He has been stuck for two years in a team with Lionel Messi, basically staying out of the way. But the work ethic that Diego Simeone, one of his big admirers, instilled within him made him an excellent tracking midfielder.
But that's not what €120m was spent on.
We've got a small sample size of just three La Liga matches this season but even with Messi gone, Griezmann's best work is taking place in other areas of the pitch.
Griezmann's changing game
Griezmann: Defensive Stats
| Season (P90) | 21/22 | 20/21 | 19/20 |
| Defensive Challenges | 6 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Attacking Challenges | 8 | 4.9 | 5.1 |
| Tackles | 3.8 | 2.2 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 4.3 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Recoveries | 3 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
Griezmann's defensive numbers have exploded. He's very much getting involved in the game and bringing the ball back for his team. Despite him never matching up to the player Barcelona thought they were buying.
And therein lies the problem. Griezmann scored 108 goals in four seasons at Atletico where Simeone retained his best attacking qualities but added a steel and defensive nature to his game.
At Barcelona, he has 35 in just over two seasons in an arguably better team.
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He hasn't translated the attacking element to his game at Camp Nou, and maybe the confidence factor is much to do with it.
In being unsure with himself he has reverted to the part which is easier to influence - defensively - than in a team surrounded by other attacking talent.
Would a return to Atleti immediately reinvigorate him? It depends. But it's sometimes better to return to a place where people know who you are, and what you are about, than to continue to stagnate.
It feels like Griezmann needs to go where everyone knows his name.
