This summer, the French national team was eliminated from the European Championship in the semi-finals against Spain. Griezmann did not start the match because Didier Deschamps, for the second time in the tournament, dropped him to the bench. In the current international break for the Nations League, the Atletico Madrid player spoke about it in an interview with ‘Telefoot’ in which he had no objection to show his disagreement.
“There were a lot of changes of position and tactics and we had to deal with that. I had done my preparation with Atletico to be in good physical shape. If I had scored the two chances I had against the Netherlands, my Euro would have been different. Did it bother me to change positions? Not when I was on the pitch, but, against Poland and Spain, it bothered me not to be a starter,” he said.
“They were tactical decisions and you have to respect them even if they bother you. Everything is about the team, even if it wasn’t my best competition,” said the Frenchman, who returned to his coach’s starting line-up at international level on Friday against Italy. The ‘Azzurri’ won 1-3, so it is not out of the question that the ‘Colchonero’ will be back on the bench as he was in Germany.
Asked where he thinks he plays best, he replied: “For me, it’s always been in the middlewith that feeling of freedom. I need that to feel good mentally. My game depends a lot on my head and my mind. If I’m happy, everything is fine. If I have doubts or uncertainties, it shows right away. That’s what happened to me at the European Championship. I need to have a clear head, be happy and be at the centre of the game to be able to enjoy myself and the others.