The club kid is back.
Keystone of Diego Simeone's system before his departure for FC Barcelona in 2019, Antoine Griezmann returns to Atlético with a radically different status.
Disappointing at Barça, the Frenchman has never been able to do well in Catalonia and arrives in a sacred team in La Liga without him.
For a huge challenge.
In many ways.
To discover
Liga standings
Liga fixtures and results
“
In football terms, he was not the player we needed… I think he did not fit into our system.”
In two years at FC Barcelona, the world champion has not convinced observers of the Catalan club. A mixed first season under the orders of Ernesto Valverde then Quique Setien, before finding some color during the second exercise. Despite a generally honorable season with 20 goals scored in all competitions, “Grizou” is not unanimous and some voices are arguing for a departure of the French number 7. At FC Barcelona, Griezmann has never acclimated to the style of play based on excessive possession of the ball and the desire to carry out placed attacks. Some observers see the limits of its potential when others highlight the unfavorable context within a Catalan club in the midst of a sporting and financial crisis. Your turn to judge …
On the ground side, the transplant never took.
Or too rarely.
The former Atlético metronome excels in an animation focused on rapid transitions, with spaces to exploit to quickly distill balloons to his teammates or to be at the conclusion of the actions.
An observation shared by the president of the club, Joan Laporta in the program "Onze": "
On the football level, he was not the player we needed ... I think he did not fit into our system . "
A problem coupled with the position and role given to the French at Barça.
Never managed to become a fixture at Barça
Antoine Griezmann meets expectations when he evolves like a free electron around the striker. In Catalonia, the keys to the game were naturally entrusted to the metronome Leo Messi. The native of Macon played either as a winger or in a center-forward position, without success. In a team in continuous loss of speed, the Frenchman has never been able to take the game in hand and assert himself as a leader. In the shadow of Messi, “
Grizzie”
has failed to raise his level of play to become an essential option in the eyes of his 3 technicians. In the grip of substantial financial difficulties, FC Barcelona sought to separate from number 7. An inevitable separation, shared by the main interested party who wanted to return to Madrid to revive. "
I can't wait to get home
”.
A sovereign Atlético without him, a legitimacy to be found
Eager to win major titles by rallying FC Barcelona and Catalonia, Antoine Griezmann will have won only a Copa del Rey against Athletic Bilbao (0-4) in 2021. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid was renewing with success on the national scene.
Winner of the last edition of La Liga, Diego Simeone's men won the 11th championship in their history.
A performance achieved without the former custodian of the game of the Madrilenians, 7 seasons after winning their last title. From 2014 to 2019, under the leadership of their former playing master, the Colchoneros had failed to do better than two dolphin places in 2018 and 2019. Antoine Griezmann is therefore back to square one, with a new status. Without having participated in this collective feat, the former virtuoso of the Madrilenians no longer has the same legitimacy and must prove that he can once again become an indisputable holder in the eyes of Diego Simeone.
The reconquest also concerns Atlético Madrid fans who have not all digested his departure to FC Barcelona. A fan favorite, he had already caused a lot of ink to flow in 2018 as part of the
controversial
“
Decision
” before joining Barça a year later. President Enrique Cerezo has anticipated and invites supporters to support Griezmann's return to Atlético "
I hope the supporters are aware that Antoine Griezmann is a necessary player to make our dreams and desires come true. When he left all I said was that in Barcelona they wouldn't like him as much as they do here.
"
The upcoming deadlines, in particular the trip to Espanyol will be important for the world champion in order to find, as quickly as possible, this famous communion between the public and the new number 8 from Madrid.
A starting place to look for
Without being particularly brilliant in the game, the Colchoneros have shown themselves solid in his absence, the hallmark of Diego Simeone.
A title marked by the gradual implementation of a new 3-5-2 game system.
The arrival of Luis Suarez during the 2020 transfer window was also successful as evidenced by his 21 league goals.
With the current outbreak of Angel Correa author of 3 achievements in as many meetings, the hopes placed in Joao Felix and the versatility of Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann does not arrive on conquered ground.
However, the playing philosophy advocated by the Argentinian technician corresponds to the qualities of the new number 8 of the Colchoneros.
After a long crossing of the desert, the native of Macon arrives at a turning point in his career.
By finding his mentor Diego Simeone and playing principles which suit him perfectly, the Frenchman aspires to show once again the full extent of his talent in his former favorite garden, which he still has to tame again.
