According to information from L’Equipe, Antoine Griezmann should be a starter against the Red Devils. Downgraded during this Euro, the vice-captain of France disappointed in the group stage. If he was a starter against Austria and the Netherlands, he did not start against Poland.
Placed back in the heart of the game by Deschamps since the Qatari World Cup, the player, who is coming off a superb season at Atletico Madrid in a more offensive position, is struggling to create a bond between the Blues’ lines. He was therefore replaced during the third match with the return of Tchouameni and the first start of Barcola. Coming into play against Poland, Griezmann had a complete hole in his 30 minutes on the field.
Will Tedesco surprise against France? He has two choices: strengthen his midfield or keep his ideas
Didier Deschamps: “I took the option to blow it”
Didier Deschamps, who has made Grizou a base man in his system for almost 10 years, explained his choice by putting forward a physical argument. “He plays every match, he played almost two matches in full and came home for 30 minutes, you have a nonos to chew on, maybe it’s Antoine, do what you want”he explained with a half-smile. “But for me, it’s not a problem, I know what he can do. In one of the two matches, if he scores one of the two chances, it’s not the same thing at all.”
With the explosion of Kanté and the return of Tchouameni as sentinel, the return of Griezmann was far from assured. “It’s a choice of timing“, he said again after the draw against Poland. “I took the option to blow it. Like Marcus Thuram blew it too, and it can happen to others.”
This should therefore no longer be the case against the Red Devils. It remains to be seen in what animation number 7 will have to evolve. As a midfielder, as has been the case for several years. Or in a more advanced position, a little more natural, as is the case at Atletico Madrid.
