Antoine Griezmann had become an integral part of Ronald Koeman‘s Barcelona team, until now never starting two consecutive matches on the bench. That’s changed, with the Frenchman dropped from the starting lineup ever since the disappointing 1-1 draw with Cadiz as noted by Diario AS.
Griezmann was benched against Elche last Wednesday, but the argument that he was merely being rested seemed plausible given the number of minutes he’s accumulated. Not starting him in a clutch game against Sevilla tells a different story, especially given he didn’t play a single minute. It was a game that was absolutely pivotal to Barcelona’s title hopes but Ousmane Dembele, Martin Braithwaite and even Ilaix Moriba were chosen ahead of the World Cup-winner.
Wiiin Wiiin Wiiiiiiiiin !!! 💙❤️
— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) February 27, 2021
Koeman claimed after the game that it was a tactical decision rather than any cloaked message. Griezmann, to his credit, tweeted his happiness at the victory post-match, but he can’t be happy with the turn of events. He’d been one of Barcelona’s best players in the month of January, but is perhaps paying the price after ineffectual displays against Paris Saint-Germain and Cadiz.
