ANTOINE GRIEZMANN: ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY PROFILE

ASSISTKINGS QUARTERLY PRESENTS:

PLAYER PROFILE-ISMS 

&

WONDROUS CATACLYSMS 

ANTOINE GRIEZMANN (Barca)

11 appearances
3 assists
KEY PASSES
 -TOTAL: 11
 -PER 90: 1.0
KEY PASSES OFF POST: 0
UDGC: 2
FRANCE: 1 assist & 6 key passes in 1-1 draw vs Turkey, 
              1 UDGC (earned penalty) 3 key passes in 1-0 win vs Iceland

           We wanted to believe Griezmann had finally shut his doubters up after last Saturday's masterclass against Eibar.  After the comfortable 3-0 showing, Barcelona headed into the first of two encounters against "lowly" Slavia Prague, an obvious chance for Griezmann to gain confidence alongside Messi and Suarez...right??
         The intuitive way the 
Frenchman combined 
with his new 
striking partners vs Eibar was a devastating preview of what could come soon enough from the Blaugrana's bevy of attacking options.
           In spite of Valverde's many failures in management (sticking Griezmann on the left wing being his newest fallacy) and the Barcelona board's obvious greed and chaotic decision making, the strength and character of the Catalan club's players had risen above the distractions....and then the match against Slavia Prague occurred. 


         Griezmann was stuffed out wide again and forced to work and run his ass into the ground while Suarez took a vacation and a barely recovering Messi was hampered in the press, taking the night off visibly in his duties "without the ball".
          Which is a shame, as the Frenchman robbed possession from Prague in the final third early on, setting up a Messi-orchestrated give and go with Arthur that produced the opening goal inside 3 minutes. The World Cup winner certainly wasn't out wide left when he poked the ball to Messi and set up the blitzkrieg opening that should've led to an all-out assault on Prague's goal.
          Instead, Valverde shoved him out as a left winger and the entire Barcelona XI aside from Arthur, Griezmann himself and Frenkie De Jong completely and utterly collapsed and were extremely lucky to survive with a narrow 2-1 win (thanks to 5 or 6 alien saves from Ter Stegen and a myriad of post-85th minute last ditch blocks from Pique & Lenglet). 
         The drama in Prague and his senseless positioning and substitution continues the bizarre coverage that's all perceived "for us" by a Spanish footballing media rampant with negativity. It also resumes the headline-catching treatment we've seen since the time Griezmann, Dembele and many other Bartomeu / Valverde era players arrived. 

         There's been Neymar, Bartomeu and the political unrest of the last few months caused by the Spanish government's diabolical and illegal acts followed by overzealous rioting (the Spanish government handed down 9-13 year prison sentence for three Catalan leaders after the October 2017 Independence Referendum). 
         Add to that list his departure from Atletico almost bringing about legal proceedings and severe penalties for FC Barcelona, France's long World Cup hangover and arrogance which won't be punished until Euro 2020, Valverde's automated idiocy in playing him out wide due to Suarez's goalscoring resurgence, and now...because of the Spanish government's "fear for Madridista and Francoist supporters' safety" amongst Barca fans, even the postponement of El Clasico until Keith Richards's birthday.
           Many kindergarten pundits such as ESPNFC's Dan Thomas and Ale Moreno have humorously suggested Griezmann will become "the next Coutinho", but I believe those fools aren't even watching the matches.
          The quiet emergence & unselfish versatility of Antoine Griezmann is paying dividends, whether many Barca fans or our pathetic manager notice or not...despite their goals and two moments against Prague, Griezmann outplayed and most importantly out-hustled both Messi and Suarez.
           He's scored 4 and created five goals for the Catalans from his unnatural station on the left wing (9 in 11 apps.) although lately the Frenchman seems to better grasp how to move in attack, coming inside and roaming the inside left channels.
           Griezmann played left wing for France in the previous two international matches during the last break, moving inside and influencing play for Les Blues from the awkward area. He had an assist and created a litany of chances for France, although their usual tempo and chance creation was extremely lower than normal with the main man out wide, this seemed to be an idea from Griezmann and Deschamps to aid the Barcelona striker in adapting to the circumstances of his new club manager's stubbornness...one Deschamps can relate to.
           So, the French World Cup winner and Les Bleus talisman reached deeper and found a new way to play, reverting back to his Sociedad days and time during the 2014 World Cup where he played as a left winger. 
            During those times, Antoine often flew inside and affected play with both feet, spraying long diagonals to a streaking right back in space, laying it off for a center mid like Paul Pogba to step on to and blast on goal, crossing it in with his fantastic left foot, or merely using both feet to gain himself space and combining in and around the box for a final shot on goal or pass.
            He's done the same for Barcelona against Eibar, scoring a goal from the left hip after a filthy Clement Lenglet long ball, assisting Messi after a nifty novelty combo from Suarez to Griezmann to Messi into the net, and operating from deep, culminating in his ragingly beautiful pass that teed up Messi and Suarez for the 3rd goal:

      What a ball from Griezmann:
he receives possession while cutting inside from deep left and with a man in his face and a wasteland of options before him, he didn't aim backwards for a safe pass that would've actually brought defenders on to the fragile Barca back line and pin those guys further back, instead he hit the most delicately phenomenal 60 yard through ball, strong and fierce: forcing the run from the static Messi and Suarez. 
           The ball from Antoine was pure filth (gaining him his 2nd UDGC of the campaign), the pass rolling through the entire Eibar lineup before stopping on a dime for the greatest player in the world to collect in ultimate space...the Argentine bringing the keeper out before sliding it wide for Suarez to tap in.

             This went along with yet another assist after his silky, sexy one touch that finished off an unsuccessful dribble from Suarez. Griezmann has such world class awareness that must be respected, identified by the moment he tapped that ball to a roving Messi who he  shouldn't have been able to see. 
            The touch wide from Griezmann bamboozled the defense & allowed for Messi's devastating movement to gain its rewards once the Barca captain latched on to the pass and took aim through an opponent's legs and past the keeper's ass, the shot heading into the corner with a low squeeze. 
            Again, the Frenchman showed a hardcore work ethic and mean aggression off of the ball, just as he displays with France. 
           This spits in the face of the anonymously abysmal performances in recent outings for Barca (vs Dortmund, Granada & Inter) and calls back to his expert showings in the 5-2 Griezmann-helmed evisceration of the talented Real Betis, or the hunger displayed (and brilliant header from a Messi corner) vs Villareal.

           Griezmann is here to stay, no matter where you put him...but Valverde, you have to play him as a central striker, Suarez coming from the bench later in matches as our "super sub". 
           When Dembele returns from suspension and if all four of Messi, Suarez, Griezmann and Dembele are fully fit, the "manager" simply must start Messi on the right, Griezmann up the middle and Dembele from the left while Luis Suarez comes off the bench for Dembele or for Griezmann around the 70-80th minute mark for high impact.
           But no matter about Suarez's impact from the bench hypothetically, Griezmann has made his own and Barcelona fans should be dying to find out just how good he can be alongside Messi and Ousmane Dembele. 
            Now we wonder, after Barcelona's impotent performance vs Slavia Prague, why isn't Valverde interested in any solutions, no matter how obvious? 
            It was obvious (once Dembele came on late in the Prague match) that we now had the pace in attack we'd been missing all match, yet there was never an obvious target for him as both Messi and Suarez had wained in the end of the match, their finishing and final ball in the box lacking and the hardest runner / 2nd best finisher on the pitch had already been removed.
            For some reason, Griezmann was substituted off in lieu of Dembele instead of the lifeless Suarez.   

                 Valverde is making more enemies by the substitution and with good reason...sometimes we wonder if the man is actually blind. The surreal vibe of this continuing insanity from Barcelona's hierarchy has caused havoc throughout the club, culminating in Messi staring Valverde down like we all are doing from our couches or stadium seats...
            Griezmann has so much more to give...4 goals, 
3 assists and 2 uncredited direct goal contributions in 11 appearances is a fantastic rate that shouldn't be shrugged at...for a player needing time to adapt to his surroundings and to such a horrendous manager, the World Cup winning talisman has proven himself at Barca already.
            Now it's time for him to grab the attention of the ADHD / amnesiac masses...