Former German international Bernd Schuster told Onda Cero, Spain’s radio station that neither Lionel Messi nor Antoine Griezmann wants to play as a Barcelona’s NO:9.
This came after Quique Setien’s side defeated Granada last weekend. Though they had gone to the top of La Liga, Barca struggled to create opportunities and score plenty. They were dominant in possession and completed 1005 passes during the 90 minutes but clearly lacked an edge upfront.
He revealed that the Catalans clearly lacked a focal point in their attack in the absence of Luis Suarez, who is injured and set to be out for a few months.
Setien was handed a win on debut with the only goal coming from the Argentine talisman. He started in centre-forward position but did not play much upfront. Messi was often seen falling deep in order to construct their game, as he does usually.
Whereas, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann stayed on the left side of the field. Though he has immense experience in playing as a striker, he has mostly featured as a left-wing for the Blaugranas this season.
Messi and Griezmann Unwilling to play at front
And thus, after the game, Schuster spoke of the duo’s unwillingness to play higher up the pitch, something which Suarez has done in his entire career, be it at Liverpool or Barcelona.
The Uruguayan has played 23 games in all competitions this season, scoring 14 and further setting up 11 and he won’t be back until May.
Without a proper striker, Barcelona would find it hard in the coming days with tougher matches as they have failed to solve the problem from within the existing squad.
And this is why the former Barcelona and Real Madrid man believes that the club must sign a proper replacement. In doing so, the manager would be able to bring a balance between the team for the rest of the season.