After having experienced the worst season of his career, with a particularly discreet first part of 2022, Antoine Griezmann has returned to full light at the start of the season. “Grizou” became decisive again on the meadow. From his first appearance in La Liga with Atlético de Madrid, on August 15 in Getafe (3-0), he began by ending the longest goal drought of his career (23 consecutive club and national team matches combined). . Then he scored the only winning goal in Valencia last Monday (1-0).
With two goals in four appearances, the French international is already only one unit away from equaling his total for the previous year in the league (3 in 29 games). But his status among the Colchoneros questions. He did not start on Saturday evening in the draw against Real Sociedad (1-1). As in the first three games of the season, he was used as a substitute, coming on after the hour mark (in the 63rd minute in this case, after two starts at the 62nd and one at the 64th).
A rather unusual role for the 2018 world champion who, despite the few goals scored last season, had always kept the confidence of Diego Simeone. Before this season, the Argentine coach had never asked Antoine Griezmann to come off the bench in more than two consecutive meetings in six seasons leading him.
63′ | Real Sociedad – Atleti
Segundo cambio en nuestro equipo:
Griezmann
From Paul• #AúpaAtleti • #RealSociedadAtleti •
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) September 3, 2022
His role has changed. Despite his good start to the season, the Frenchman sees his place taken by Alvaro Morata, a player who was loaned to Juventus Turin in 2021-2022 because he was not Simeone’s first choice. And his 12 goals in 48 appearances (every 267 minutes) for the Old Lady are unlikely to have changed that.
“As long as Griezmann responds that way when I bring him in, it will continue that way. I play him when I feel he will bring the most to the team“, replied Diego Simeone curtly in a press conference after the success in Valencia, gleaned thanks to the entry of the Frenchman. In appearance, the Argentinian describes an assumed strategy: “sometimes playing thirty good minutes is better than sixty bad“.
The Spanish media Relevo puts forward a reason far from being sporting. The Frenchman’s playing time is limited because Atlético de Madrid don’t want his option to buy activated. In economic difficulty, the Madrid club will be forced to pay 40 million to FC Barcelona if the player currently on loan plays more than 50% of the time he is available. Having him play less than thirty minutes per game this season is a solution found to avoid making the transfer of Antoine Griezmann definitive, or at least a way of putting pressure on Barça, also in financial difficulty, to negotiate a drop in the contract. ‘Purchase option.
Two months before the World Cup, the situation is not ideal for “Grizou”, especially since he is no longer the indisputable holder he was in the France team and the rise of Christopher Nkunku launched a remote competition. And now that the transfer market has closed, the native of Mâcon is stuck in Madrid.