Would be indecent to question Antoine Griezmann’s place in national team, admits Didier Deschamps
France head coach Didier Deschamps has revealed that despite Antoine Griezmann’s poor form for Barcelona, the Frenchman still has a place in the Les Blues’ national squad. The 29-year-old has failed to live up to all the hype since his move from Atletico Madrid with 27 goals in 85 appearances.
A lot was expected from Antoine Griezmann when he signed for Barcelona but the Frenchman has failed to live up to the hefty price-tag that the La Liga giants shelled out for him. Not only that, injuries and bad form have affected the 29-year-old, so much so that the forward has managed to find the net just 27 times in the eighteen months since his move. None more so than this season with Griezmann scoring just 12 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions.
That’s a tally that includes just 6 goals in the La Liga although, the forward has contributed to a further 6 assists in the league as well. Yet, despite his poor run of form, Didier Deschamps has admitted that it will not affect Griezmann’s place in the French squad. The Les Blues boss also added that while he “may not be playing at his best”, fans or critics cannot “question his quality” with him using Paul Pogba's example at Manchester United.
“He may not be playing at his best, but that is not to question his quality. It would be indecent to question his presence in the national team. In November, Paul was going through an even more difficult period with Manchester United. Being with us gave him a boost and he had a great game against Portugal. Antoine's case is the same, it's a matter of trust,” Deschamps said, reported Goal.
“They know that in the France team they are in a different environment. All the players can go through a bad period at their club, but I maintain the confidence I have in them. The players must bear in mind that there is competition. If at some point I think that a young man has less experience but can bring something more to the team, I will not hesitate to count on him.”