The hugely talented Antoine Griezmann, thanks to his blistering form for La Real, has now put himself in a brilliant position to make France’s squad for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. These performances have seen the 22 year old slam home 11 goals in 15 matches this season, and also supply his teammates with a further 2 assists. With his international ban soon to be lifted on December 31, he has certainly given himself every chance of selection, especially in light of France’s troubles in front of goal during qualification.
Griezmann’s ban came about through stupidity, as he and fellow French U-21 teammates Yann M’Vila, Wissam Ben Yedder, M’baye Niang and Chris Mavinga decided to head to a Paris nightclub from the team’s base in Le Havre via taxi on October the 13th 2012. The ill advised trip saw them break the team’s curfew, in what was roughly a 400km round trip to the capital and back. The nocturnal adventure came just ahead of their pivotal second leg European Under 21 Qualifying match against Norway, which was lost 5-3, and saw the team fail to qualify for the tournament by losing 5-4 on aggregate.
The FFF punished 4 of the youngsters, including Griezmann, with a 14 month ban, and handed M’Vila a further 6 months after having already received a previous warning (M’Vila’s ban has since been reduced by 4 months on appeal). Whilst there was a 48 hour gap between the antics and the match, their actions were looked down upon by the FFF, with coach Erick Mombaerts also losing his job amidst the fallout.
Since the saga, Griezmann has greatly impressed with some eye-catching performances for Real Sociedad, which under normal circumstances would’ve surely earned him a French call-up. In combination with Carlos Vela, their terrific displays have helped propel La Real to a remarkable fourth placed finish, which in turn, secured Champions League football.
When watching Griezmann, immediately noticeable are his pace, skill, eye for goal, and directness. His versatility adds another string to his bow, as he is regularly seen switching positions throughout the course of Sociedad’s matches. In the recent 4-3 victory over Celta, he was constantly switching flanks, and enjoying portions of the match playing upfront, as he and Vela showcased an excellent understanding. The dynamic attacker is also lethal on the counter, with his speed and desire to charge forward making him a truly damaging weapon for La Real.
His outstanding displays in La Liga, which now see him sitting equal third in the Pichichi race after netting another against Granada last match, have obviously alerted the attention of French national team manger Didier Deschamps, as he was recently quoted as saying “He is decisive. He is setting up a lot of goals and is scoring also. At the end of his suspension, he is likely to be a player to join the France squad.”
With all this in mind, and Griezmann’s troubles now behind him, it would be almost impossible for Deschamps not to select him in his next squad. Amazingly, Griezmann has scored 18 goals this season, which is more than any other Frenchman in the major leagues in Europe, and with France’s well documented goalscoring trouble, he could well be the ideal man to give them a much needed lift in the final third.
No comments:
Post a Comment