After Austria – France (1-1): At the Blues, it’s time to save the soldier Antoine Griezmann

In Vienna, he still dragged like a lost soul on the pitch, struggling to make the link between midfield and attack and only managing to put his partners in orbit on rare occasions. His replacement by Kylian Mbappé was the turning point of the match: the Parisian, very bleeding, changed the face of the match on his own and allowed the Blues to avoid an embarrassing exit from the road. It is also a way of illustrating the sporting downgrading experienced by Griezmann since the return to selection of Karim Benzema.

Physically short, unrecognizable as a leader

“I knew he didn’t have 90 minutes in his legsjustified Didier Deschamps when coming back to this decisive change. He’s not in his best shape, it shows in his acting and his influence in animation.“. A course of action adopted since the start of the rally, where the physical glitches experienced by “Grizou” and his difficult rehabilitation at Atlético served as rational explanations for a form that is much less so.

Asked about Griezmann’s situation, Benzema wanted to highlight everything that the Madrid player brings elsewhere. “I’m not here to judge so and sohe explained in the mixed zone. We are here to help all players, no matter who scores. What matters is that he continues to work, and at some point or another he is going to score, and I hope for him, and for us too, that he will score in the next game, or that he will make an assist. But for me that’s not what you have to especially watch in his game. He makes a lot of defensive moves, he helps the team, it’s just the success that he lacks“The concern is that even defensively and in leadership, Griezmann seems to have lost his touch.

But among the Blues, it’s one for all, all for one. Benjamin Pavard, privileged witness of Griezmann’s place in the architecture of the 2018 world champions, supported this point, convinced that the bad pass was, precisely, only a bad pass. “Griezmann is a great player, it’s true that he hasn’t scored in a few matcheshe admitted. It’s nothing, we trust him. I’m sure it will come back soon“.”All the great players have experienced this, Zidane, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldocompleted Benzema. It will come back, for sure, he will score, and he must continue to help the team as he does“.

Monday, against Croatia, the hypothesis of seeing Christopher Nkunku start is growing. Because Griezmann needs to breathe. And not just physically. This is also, in essence, what Didier Deschamps explained before the match in Vienna. “I know him well, he has often been more than to his advantage in Blueshe insisted on recalling. It’s not his best period. There is a part of physical, of mental. As I told you, he suffered his first injury this season. I’m not saying it’s worn out. I know his qualities and his mind too. He does not balk“. But he sticks out his tongue all the same…