He probably knew what to expect. When he arrived in Barcelona, a year after he rejected an offer to stay at Atletico, to join Barça's tightknit attacker duo - Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez -, Antoine Griezmann must've known he was about to face some new career challenges. That's probably why he decided to do it.
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However, Antoine Griezmann, who is very efficient and committed on the field, is at the heart of a debate in Spain and elsewhere. His relationship with Lionel Messi, in particular, is being closely scrutinized, with media outlets frequently publishing photos of the Argentinian player totally forgetting his teammate is there. Statistically, Grizou no longer has the same impact he had at Atletico or in France.
Gérard Piqué, who was already very close to the Frenchman before his arrival in Barcelona, probably has the most logical explanation for this. He spoke out about it in an interview for Cadena Cope:
'Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid are teams that played for him. At Barca, we don't play for him considering the overall level of the players here. He has to find his place, and little by little he will find it. He has enough talent and quality. I also have a lot of respect for everything he brings us defensively.'
Clearly, Antoine Griezmann is no longer the technical and tactical leader of the team. Unlike the French team, which relied entirely on Griezmann, Barça places their bets on their attacker duo, on Luis Suarez especially. This should come as no surprise to Antoine Griezmann. It might be time for him to stop surprising the rest of the world.
