Paris, June 19 (BNA): Antoine Griezmann’s alarming decline means that his starting place for France in the World Cup finals is under threat from Christopher Nkunku.
If Griezmann’s struggle continues for two international matches in September, coach Didier Deschamps could pick Leipzig’s Nkunkou as France begin their title defense in Qatar two months later.
“They have two different profiles. Christopher is probably more of a striker than Antoine, who is more than creative,” Deschamps recently said.
The 24-year-old Nkunku is a fast and skilled player who works as a striker or attacking midfielder. He was chosen as the best player in the German League by his professional colleagues last season after scoring 35 goals in general and providing 14 assists in the league. In stark contrast, Griezmann has not scored a goal for France or Atletico Madrid since early January, according to the Associated Press.
Nkunko started ahead of Griezmann in a Nations League match against Croatia on Monday. In the previous match in Austria, Nkunko came off the bench and with a clever pass he set the equalizer for Kylian Mbappe.
Nkunko’s style of play offers France a more direct approach.
“Christopher is good in the air too. Although he’s not that tall, he jumps really well, and he can run in space,” Deschamps said. “Antoine could do that too, but he’s more involved in reinforcement and regulation.”
For many years, dropping Griezmann was out of the question for Deschamps, who is very close to the player and admired his selfless attitude. Griezmann played 108 matches, but the last performances were not good and he was disqualified after 63 minutes in Austria.
“He knows he’s not at his best. It shows in his game and the effect on our attack,” Deschamps recently said. “It’s not his best period. Some are physical and some are mental. (But) I’m not saying he’s exhausted.”
The thing that never changes with Griezmann is that he never stops working hard. His France teammate Karim Benzema said it was important to “look at the other things he’s doing, the way he’s backing down and defending”.
“He will score at some point,” Benzema said.
Griezmann is the third highest scorer in France’s history with 42 goals. But the 31-year-old’s scoring touch left him so bad that he scored just three league goals in 26 appearances for Atlético last season.
He is a far cry from his prolific stint with Colchoneros, when he scored 133 goals in total in 257 appearances before joining Barcelona in 2021. He performed well in spells there, but his return with 35 goals in 102 games fell short of expectations and his confidence kicked in. in that. On the way to extinction.
Fast forward to Monday night at the Stade de France, and Grizemann only entered in the last 15 minutes against Croatia. France lost 1-0 and relinquished the Nations League title. Bottom line France faces the possibility of relegation to the second division and must return at home to Austria on September 22, and in Denmark three days later.
These matches could also affect whether Griezmann is a starting player or a substitute when France begin their title defense against Australia in Qatar on November 22.
But his team’s place seems certain.
“I know his ability and his mental strength. He’s not having his best period, but that doesn’t mean I’d question what he can do,” Deschamps said.
Griezmann started the season with Barcelona before returning to Atlético. He said the different ways clubs were preparing for the season affected his performance in the national team.
“I was a bit tired physically after the efforts I put in, just like with my team. Griezmann said after the 2-1 loss to Denmark on June 3 when he was knocked out after 78 minutes.
He expects to be “a lot better physically” after a full start with Atlético.
Deschamps also has other things on his mind, not the least of which is sorting out his team. France looked poor in the Nations League, losing at home to Denmark and Croatia and also drawing with Croatia.
“We have to question everything. We lacked strength, character and energy. The highest level can be ruthless,” Deschamps said. “I hope we can get our strength back and the players get their fighting spirit back. Have you ever had some of them? “
Such a poor level is not befitting France, which also reached the final of the European Championship in 2016.
“We will need to show more if we want to maintain our position,” Deschamps said. “From the moment you’re not doing things well enough, you should be critical of yourself.”
There were extenuating circumstances, such as injuries to key midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante and defender Raphael Varane – who only played one match.
“We had a lot more injuries than we used to,” Deschamps said.
Some of the tactical choices he made, such as switching from a three-man defense to a four-man unit, have been called into question.
“Just because you have a system doesn’t mean you have to stick to it,” Deschamps said, looking somewhat confused about how his team should play.