Liga – Après Getafe – Atletico Madrid (0-3) : Buteur, Antoine Griezmann s’est libéré d’un poids

An activity and a vista found

An hour spent sitting on the bench of the Coliseum Alfonso Perez in Getafe is enough to stiffen the legs. Nothing like Antoine Griezmann, who displayed a form of zebulon Monday evening. Entering the 62nd in place of Thomas Lemar, the Frenchman immediately placed himself between the lines, in free electrons behind Alvaro Morata, alone at the forefront. The Spaniard, a defector from Juventus, has previously distinguished himself with a double, each time served by a spirited Joao Félix (three assists).

Slightly offset to the right, as if to better transplant in the axis on his left foot, the former Barcelonan quickly found his rhythm, producing a first sprint along the sideline (67th). Once the colchonero block was up, the Frenchman quietly spun. The “special” of the world champion was no longer obvious, the latter coming out of a last coughing exercise, between tasteless scores and physical troubles.

Two minutes later, “Grizi” cracked a wrapped ball halfway up for Yannick Carrasco. The leather was removed at the last moment by an opposing defender, but the danger again came from the crampons of number 8 of the Colchoneros. And then came deliverance. Served in the race by Joao Félix, Antoine Griezmann slipped past the Madrid hinge, escaping from the right towards the axis. The result, two touches of the ball to go inside before crossing an unstoppable strike from the left. 0-3 and the rebirth took root.

Not yet Atleti’s metronome

More than the goal, his first in the league for almost nine months, it is the impression given by the Frenchman who invites optimism. Long sleeves, small dynamic steps, flexible gestures: we found the Griezmann before his Barcelona interlude (2019-2021), even if technically, the Frenchman still belongs to the Blaugrana club.

Griezmann even almost made his record shine with a bright decisive pass, but Félix missed his face-to-face with David Soria (78th). The French marvelously marries the sensitivity of the Portuguese, a sort of hybrid player, like Griezmann, but slightly deported to the left. Obviously fresher than his partners, the Mâconnais multiplied the races and made himself available. A last well-taken free kick in added time (90th + 3) and the French laid the first milestone on the road to reconquest, which still promises to be long.

Asked about the brilliant return of his tricolor leader at a press conference, Diego Simeone gave a terse answer: “It doesn’t matter if I talk about Griezmann, I’ve been doing it for a while and I know what he’s capable of. I hope he will continue his momentum and confirm on the pitch what he has shown in pre-season..” Eclipsed by the resounding hat-trick of assists from Félix and the double from Morata, Griezmann no longer appears today as the centerpiece of the Colchoneros. It is up to him to remember what he is worth to “Cholo”.