Antoine Griezmann: I feel freer with France than Barcelona
The striker says he's not got the chance to work as he wants with the Catalans
FC Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann is at the Euros with France and he looked back at the season.
“In France I have earned respect,” said Griezmann. “Those who know about football know what I do well in all the places I go. In the national team all the balls go through me, I feel freer, like with Atletico Madrid.
“At Barcelona it was hard because of my first games and sometimes the criticism was exaggerated. In 2021 however, I think that it’s going better.
“When you lose La Liga, for example, you are saddened. At the start of the season too because I didn’t play and I didn’t feel important. I’m accustomed to playing everything, all the big games, and I found myself on the bench against Madrid. It annoys you to see your team-mates warming up on the pitch and you on the side. But those are the coach’s decisions and you have to accept them and do everything possible to change that opinion.”
The most important difference between playing for Deschamps and playing for Barca is freedom.
“I feel freer than at Barca, whether it be to ask for a ball or finish in the box. When it comes to defending, I move according to the team’s needs, sometimes I defend like a defensive midfielder, sometimes as a full back. From the moment I’m free in attack I feel good. When they want me to work as a winger, I don’t have the dribble or pace to take people on one on one, and I’m not a target man either.”
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