The current coach of Standard Liege, with whom Griezmann worked under his orders from 2011 to 2013, explained how to get the best out of the forward.
Antoine, everyone loves him
Antoine Griezmann’s name continues to be debated in connection with his performances at Barcelona, even during the international break, and the most recent was the former coach of the Frenchman at Real Sociedad Philippe Montanier. The current coach of Standard Liege, with whom Griezmann worked under his orders from 2011 to 2013, explained how to get the best out of the forward. “Antoine needs to be entertained, play and joke around to give his full potential. It is not the impression that he makes at present,” Montanier told reporters. Although it has been many years since he was under his command, Montanier is clear on how Griezmann’s way of being and he is confident that his compatriot is not a problem in Barcelona’s dressing room. On the contrary. “Antoine, everyone loves him,” Montanier continued.
Griezmann has no ego problems
“Besides all his talent, he is very persevering; he works hard; he always puts himself at the service of the team. And he has no ego problems. We saw it with Les Bleus”. The coach also recalled that when Kylian Mbappe arrived in the French national team, Griezmann immediately allowed him to shine. Moreover, Montanier regrets that the No.7 is part of the Barcelona squad, which is no longer one of the best teams in Europe. “He came at a bad time to a Barcelona in crisis,” Montanier said. He believes that the different issues that the club deals with are another fact that has affected Griezmann’s performance. On Thursday, the 29-year-old’s uncle also got involved in his nephew’s struggles at the Camp Nou, pointing out some of the blame Lionel Messi’s way.
“I was convinced that Antoine would take time to settle,” Griezmann’s uncle told reporters. “But I didn’t think it would take a year. Although, with Messi there, I know what’s going on and it’s not easy. There are things I can’t say. But I can tell they are not working hard enough. The training is geared towards certain players. There is not enough hard graft going on.” Griezmann, meanwhile, is currently concentrating on his football with the French national team. On Friday morning, he travelled to Lisbon with his teammates ahead of the match against Portugal, while Barcelona are waiting to see if the forward and Clement Lenglet have COVID-19 after Wissam Ben Yedder tested positive for the virus.