FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
I thought he was playing way better than he plays with Barca. He looks to fit there.
Antoine Griezmann
- Thread starter Barcaman
- Start date
George_Costanza
Active member
OK sure so why don't they ask PSG to save France and buy this Grease man?
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
That would be great. I don't mind keeping him if Messi leaves.
malvolio
Senior Member
probably got to mbappe through neymar and conspired to isolate poor antoine at the NT too
te amo barca
Blaugrana al vent
Yeah, it is very hard to like him. Not only he doesn't fit as long as Messi is here, and he at best can do only a handful of things of what Messi can do + workrate, but also add to this his antics and theatrics in 2018 with la decision. Now his arrogance has vanished and self-confidence is very low.
Messigician
Senior Member
Disliked him from the start with his cringe confetti celebration
There are several things we discovered besides his weak mentality (or possibly his decline) during his first season at Barcelona:
1. He cannot, in any form, play as a winger in various tactical set ups. Doesn't matter if it's right or left, LM or RM, Setien's possession football or Valverde's type of football.
2. He cannot, in any form, play as a lone striker as we hoped him too. He's just as bad if not worse than he is as a winger.
3. His optimal position has already been taken by a better player.
4. He can't take on players, his dribbling isn't just subpar; it's terrible. Defensive midfielders put on better take on stats.
5. He's not a pure playmaker in the Kevin De Bruyne, Ozil, or Ronaldinho sense. He's a "playmaker" that heavily depends on the chain passing/link up play as others.
6. He's a huge confidence players, and in a hostile environment will easily lose composure.
It's just not about ability anymore. He does not tactically fit, doesn't possess the qualities we need (speed, dribbling, creativity, and versatility on the wings) and he's expensive as fuck. There was no reason to keep him for another season other than pure sentimentality or the inability to take the L and admit you fucked up with another world class player.
malvolio
Senior Member
but made a name for himself by playing as a winger for sociedad
I doubt he played as a true winger in the Dembele/Ribery/Robben/Hazard sense, because he simply doesn't have the qualities for take ons and playmaking. Even when he played at his best back in 2016.
And fuck, that was like 6 years ago? Lol.
malvolio
Senior Member
the role changed anyway. most of the ones you mentioned and even griezmann himself, are winger-forwards. it's not like the classical winger that bombed on the flank and sent deadly crosses into the box. now you have to cut inside, combine and even switch positions with the striker, score goals.
ronniecro
Active member
until then,if his salary is really what we've been reading,we will burn 200m on him
Birdy
Senior Member
All points bar 3 are absolutely true, and evident. But, they were evident before he came here.
I exclude 3 because I am not sure it's the same position.
And expanding on it, I wanna describe what his 'optimal' position is:
We have seen him playing well in Atleti's 4-4-2 as the SS, and in France's 4-2-3-1 in the 'hole'. Nominally he was in both cases moving in the areas occupied by a number 10 player, centrally with relative freedom of movement drifting left/right forward/backward depending of what each play demanded from him.
The crucial difference is that his role was not of a 10 in an attacking team that would try to break down and open up parked buses (that's why I say the position is not exactly the same). And that changes a lot.
This is reflected in his skill set and what he can or cannot do during a game: he can press well, he can steal balls, he can find himself in the right position, make the right move in the box, and in generally 'read' space well. He CANNOT dribble, beat an opponent, create space for himself when on the ball, penetrate defenses with his passes.
That skillset is suited for teams that sit back and play on the counter, and that's what both Atleti and France NT do..
Of course, the question is WHO ON FUCKING EARTH assessing that kind of skill set thought he would be a good fit for a team that wants to attack and open up defenses 85% of the time to say the least? And the sad answer is that there is NO department that oversees player recruitment in the club.
Now, I understand Koeman wants to boost his confidence and starts him every game, but there is a time limit to that too.
Koeman's 4-2-3-1 can be used in setups that can utilize his skills, but that would happen i) with him playing the central position in the 'hole', ii) not in the majority of games.
He should sit soon on the bench if he does not improve, and Dembele/Trincao are already better options than him on the right.
Home of Barca Fans
