Continuation of the round of 16 of the Champions League this Tuesday, with an exciting Inter Milan-Atlético Madrid.
A real opposition of styles, Italian verticality on one side and Spanish discipline on the other.
Well ahead of Serie A and already winners of the Italian Super Cup this season, will Simone Inzaghi's Interistas easily overcome the fortress set up by Diego Simeone?
To discover
Schedule and results Champions League
Champions League standings
On the French side, the meeting promises a tantalizing duel between two of the most prolific attackers in Europe, Antoine Griezmann (32 years old, 127 caps, 44 goals) and Marcus Thuram (26 years old, 16 caps, 2 goals).
Four months before Euro 2024 in Germany, where both are applying for a place in Didier Deschamps' eleven,
Le Figaro
takes stock of the importance of each for their team.
Statistics: Thuram slightly more decisive
Returning to his best level at Atlético, after a complicated stint at FC Barcelona between 2019 and 2022, Antoine Griezmann is aging like good wine.
At 32, the Mâconnais has just become the top scorer in the history of the Colchoneros with 175 goals and has already exceeded his goal total from his excellent last season.
In 35 matches in all competitions, “Grizi” scored 18 goals and provided 7 assists.
Marcus Thuram was less prolific in absolute terms.
In 33 matches with Inter Milan, the former Guingamp player scored 12 times and played a decisive role 11 times.
But if we relate these totals to playing time over the season, Thuram has a better record than Griezmann by being decisive every 102 minutes, compared to 114 for the Madrilenian.
Note that neither is the top scorer on their team.
At Atlético, it is the Spaniard Alvaro Morata who leads the way with 19 goals in total.
At Inter, Argentinian Lautaro Martinez is walking on water this season with already 23 goals in all competitions, including 20 in Serie A.
Read alsoAltruistic, respected, ambitious... Antoine Griezmann, a very discreet hero
Position: same position but different roles
On paper, Antoine Griezmann and Marcus Thuram have their names in the same place: attacking in a 3-5-2 system, or rather 5-3-2 in the case of Atlético.
The two Tricolores had however started their careers as wingers, one at Real Sociedad, the other at Guingamp then at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
“
His new position in the axis?
I've been telling him for years that he would end up as a center forward, he doesn't listen to me,
Kylian Mbappé had fun about Marcus Thuram during a press conference last November.
In Mönchengladbach, when he was crossing the line, I told him that he would end up in the center because he has all the qualities to be a very good center forward
.
The fact remains that the two men differ in their approach to the role of number 9. Antoine Griezmann is very free on the pitch.
The world champion retains very good goalscoring reflexes – speed, finishing, flair and sense of depth – but he likes to score.
Without going back to a relay position where he had excelled with the France team during the 2022 World Cup, Griezmann serves as a link between the attack and the midfield.
His technical quality, his sense of placement and his vision are then put at the service of his teammate Alvaro Morata, who takes on more of the role of surface fox.
In Milan, Marcus Thuram came to fill the void left by Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku.
His tall height (1.92 m) makes him the perfect pivot attacker serving the formidable Lautaro Martinez.
“
The club understood that Lautaro needed a teammate who was very physically strong like Lukaku and collectively intelligent like Dzeko.
Marcus is faster and less powerful than Romelu, but he has more sophisticated game intelligence and understands situations more quickly
,” Benoît Cauet, former Inter midfielder (1997-2001),
analyzed for
L'Équipe .
Thuram touches fewer balls than Griezmann but he weighs more on defenses with his physical presence and his play without the ball.
Aura in the group: Griezmann, the icon
In an interview given to
Corriere della Sera
last week, Marcus Thuram spoke about his development at Inter Milan.
“
In this group, we really have fun, we like playing together.
We are very united.
I only arrived in July 2023, but I feel like I’ve been here for years
,” he relishes.
Freely recruited this summer from Borussia Mönchengladbach, while PSG had long dreamed of attracting him, Lilian's son experienced a whirlwind integration.
His ability to speak Italian fluently, due to a childhood spent in Italy when his father played for Parma and Juventus, is no stranger to this.
There is no doubt that he will definitely win the hearts of Nerazzurri supporters if he continues his momentum.
Marcus Thuram celebrates a goal against AS Roma on February 10, 2024. ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP
Above all, Marcus Thuram was able to prove himself indispensable in the eyes of coach Simone Inzaghi, who started him in all championship matches.
Behind the Frenchman, only the experienced Marko Arnautovic (34 years old) and Alexis Sanchez (35 years old) can claim to occupy the front of the attack.
A prolonged absence of number 9 would leave a big void within the interior squad.
Despite everything, Marcus Thuram is still missing a few years with the black and blue jersey to come close to the importance that Antoine Griezmann has in the Madrid locker room.
Top scorer in the history of the Colchoneros, the vice-captain of the Blues is a living legend of the club.
His impeccable behavior, his good humor and his ease in the language of Cervantes make him one of Diego Simeone's main men.
“
He is an extraordinary footballer, an ideal person for Atlético.
We need players of this profile
,” greeted the Argentine coach last month.
Returning through the back door after his controversial departure for FC Barcelona, “Grizi” was able to win back the hearts of supporters through his talent and humility.
His story with Atlético is one of mutual passion that is not about to end.
Antoine Griezmann celebrates a goal with his teammates, under the eyes of Diego Simeone.
JUAN MEDINA / REUTERS
Read alsoGiroud-Kolo Muani-Thuram: who to be the chosen number 9 in the French team?
Verdict: Griezmann the irreplaceable
Through his versatility on the pitch, his importance in the locker room and his special relationship with Diego Simeone, Antoine Griezmann has a considerable influence on the game and the results of Atlético Madrid.
Before Tuesday's meeting, it was he who won this distance duel against Marcus Thuram.
Last November, Didier Deschamps summed up the qualities of his “darling” better than anyone: “
He has this ability, even when he is less good, to make himself indispensable.
He is full of confidence, plays in different positions, is very free on the pitch while being efficient.
He also participates in a lot of constructions that lead to goals and scores.
He is no longer 25 years old but he still has the desire, and has this physical ability to repeat the efforts, in addition to a technical touch which makes the difference
.
The fact remains that Marcus Thuram has had a high-level first few months with Inter Milan.
In this duel of scorers, it is above all the French team which triumphs.
With the presence of Olivier Giroud (13 goals this season) and Kylian Mbappé (32 goals), the French contingent in attack has enough to make European defenses tremble.