Placed in a winger position that does not suit his qualities at all, the vice-captain of the Blues did not flinch on Monday against Belgium (1-0). But he did not shine either.
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Didier Deschamps is a tease. And a player. This week, he had trained his players in a 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Antoine Griezmann in the role of playmaker. On Monday, the coach came to knock on his vice-captain’s bedroom door to give him another piece of extremely important information. « I found out this morning (Monday), he came to my room and told mesays “Grizi”. I answered him “Go coach, let’s go, I’m here for you, for the team.” From playmaker behind two attackers, the best passer of the Blues has become a right winger to stick to the line. Robben style. It was during the pre-match chat that the rest of the group learned this. A choice that surprised some.
Deschamps explains: “There was no doubt in my mind about starting him, but it was a question of balance, even if you had chosen a diamond, square, triangle…” In the end, the Atlético Madrid player never left his position… while delivering a performance far from his standards. “He knows how to adaptpoursuit « DD ». IHe has been very interesting with the ball, although he could be even more effective. When there are big matches, I know I can count on him.” The idea was also to help Jules Koundé in the zone of Jérémy Doku, the main Belgian danger in this Euro. It was successful on that level.
Offensively, Antoine Griezmann’s lack of speed and impact was felt. He was never able to make a difference, with or without the ball, and his distant position compared to Thuram or Mbappé did not help to smooth out the Blues’ game, which was still very improvable on Monday evening. “I felt good, I tried to find the depth, to make calls, to be in the axis, to hinder the full-back in order to leave Jules Koundé all alone.deciphers the Madrilenian. I had two or three positions to shoot. I should have shot but I didn’t, I looked more for one-twos. I tried to adapt and win. (…) I’m not a winger who’s going to do one-on-ones. I’m left-footed, I’m more of a midfielder, who looks for one-twos. The coach asked me to move out, at other times to come into the centre. I play my game like that. But no matter where I am, I’ll give my all all the time.”
For the third time in four matches (he was replaced against Poland), Antoine Griezmann played in a different position. A model teammate, he will never say anything. And will comply with his coach’s orders. Deschamps knows that he can ask anything of him, unlike Kylian Mbappé. However, questions remain about the management of the vice-captain, who is tossed around in different positions (like at Euro 2021 when it was necessary to make room for Benzema and Mbappé) and is never better than when he has to play in the heart of the game. His absence in this sector is felt. Neither Rabiot, nor Kanté, nor Tchouaméni have his qualities when it comes to finding the attackers and improving the French collective game. For the moment, the brain of the team is not playing at his best level. He has his share of responsibility. Deschamps too.
