French sports journalist Frederic Hermel claims that La Liga side Atletico Madrid are missing their former superstar Antoine Griezmann, who is now plying his trade with Barcelona.
Los Rojiblancos lost their talisman to Barcelona last summer. They invested their money on Portuguese sensation Joao Felix, who was crowned the best young footballer of the 2018/19 season.
The 20-year-old was in brilliant form for Benfica last season, scoring 22 goals in all competitions. But after a big-money move to the Wanda Metropolitano, Felix has failed to impress and is completely out of form.
Saturday evening in Eibar was a reminder of how much Diego Simeone’s side missed Griezmann, who had carried the team on his shoulders for the past five years.
Atletico lost 0-2 at the Ipurua and neither Alvaro Morata nor Felix could do anything to save their side. Previously, they could not find the back of the net against their city rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup, which they eventually went on to lose.
Teams like Real Betis, Granada and Villareal have scored more goals in the league this season than the Colchoneros, who have plundered just 22 in 20 games. And all this comes down to one thing – the failure to keep hold of Griezmann.
And journalist Hermel has claimed that Atletico Madrid are paying a high price for the departure of the Frenchman to Camp Nou.
The 28-year-old had established himself as one of the best strikers in the world under the manager Simeone. In the five years, Griezmann played in the red and white colours, he scored 133 goals for the club and did not disappoint in times of need.
The Macon-born forward was an influential member of the club’s Spanish Super Cup (2014/15), Europa League (2017/18) and the UEFA Super Cup (2018/2019) triumphs.
And his move to Barcelona has helped him line up with one of the world’s best footballers – Lionel Messi. At the moment, Atletico Madrid do not seem to be clicking without Antoine Griezmann.