Barcelona star Antoine Griezmann was benched during the crucial El Clasico tie on Saturday, which came as a shock to the fans. The former Atletico Madrid star is known to have good experience in the big fixtures of La Liga and especially against his former city rivals Real Madrid. Ronald Koeman started a 3-5-2 lineup at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium and ended up losing the crucial tie. Some might argue that the presence of the forward would have helped the team given his vast experience in big games.
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As of now, the future of Antoine Griezmann is reportedly at stake in Barcelona, according to MARCA. The Frenchman has already been benched from the starting position for a total of six games this season which is one less than his tally last season. Two out of the total tally, have been against Real Madrid.
Obviously, the exclusion of the French international from the starting lineup came as a shock given the intensity of the tie. The tie was potentially a title decider which is a huge occasion and yet the Blaugrana coach decided to start Ousmane Dembele over the former Atleti star. It did not work so well as the link-up between Dembele and Lionel Messi was very uncomfortable and could not function. Ronald Koeman may have regretted the decision on a personal note. Many feel that the World Cup-winning star would have been able to make a difference.
The El Clasico omission wasn’t Antoine Griezmann’s first time at Barcelona
The Dutchman has benched the forward twice against Real Madrid this season, both in the league. He was also benched in a crucial Champions League tie against Dinamo Kyiv. Even in the crucial semi-final tie against Sevilla in the Spanish Cup competition, the forward was benched. It almost looks as if the coach does not trust Griezmann for the big games. A player of his stature should be definitely starting almost all big games without a doubt.
This set of events over the season have led to the fans questioning the forward’s future at the Nou Camp. As of now, it looks bleak. Dembele seems to be the common preference for the former Everton manager. One of Koeman’s main goals, when he signed, was to focus on the improvement of the former Borussia Dortmund star.
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