life impossible without Antoine Griezmann

You miss only one person… After 84 consecutive matches in the French team jersey without injury or suspension, Antoine Griezmann was not present in Lyon for the friendly match on Saturday evening against Germany. The verdict was clear for the Blues: a defeat (0-2) and a collective outclassed by its neighbors across the Rhine. Hit in the ankle, the Atlético striker had to put an end to his incredible series, which began seven years earlier. And, if the setback against the Mannschaft is a serious warning less than three months before the Euro, the absence of Griezmann is a reminder of the extent to which the France team is dependent on him.

The natural captain of the Blues

On TF1, after the match, Didier Deschamps did not want to justify the defeat by the lack of a single player: “We know what he is capable of doing with everything he has done for years, of course. But it’s not just one player… That’s not an excuse. Especially not. Obviously, it is better to have the France team with Antoine. But, regardless of that, with him and the deficit we had in intentions, it would still have been complicated. » Even if he did not inherit the status of captain, given to Mbappé after Lloris’ international retirement, the former Barça player does not need the armband to act as such.

First a winger at the 2014 World Cup then a center forward alongside Olivier Giroud during the Euro organized in France, the player trained at Real Sociedad, in the Basque Country, ended up moving back to see the game better In this permanent reinvention, Griezmann gave himself to the collective. At the same time number 10 but also 8 and even 6 during the last World Cup in Qatar, the 33-year-old brings together the full range of midfield. Distributor, passer but also presser and tackler, Griezmann perfectly knew how to combine his technical abilities with the aggressiveness transmitted by Diego Simeone in Madrid.

If his club career remains frustrating to this day, with the absence of a La Liga or Champions League title, Antoine Griezmann is indeed a legend of the France team. Last September, we even wondered if he wasn’t quite simply the best player in the history of this selection. Kopa, Platini, Zidane… Each generation will defend its emblematic player, but, in the modern era, it is impossible to doubt the contribution of Antoine Griezmann who has grown up in the space of ten years, since his tears in Brazil during the elimination in the quarter-finals by Germany.

A collective lost without him

However, at 33, the man affectionately nicknamed “Grizou” is entering the home stretch of his career. Despite the fact that it will still be valuable for the upcoming Euro in Germany and undoubtedly just as decisive for the World Cup in North America in two years, it will be necessary, one day or another, to consider a team of France without him. We constantly repeat that the Blues’ talent pool is one of the best in the world and that many selections are jealous of our players, their replacements and even the reserves. So, why do the Blues, even with Kylian Mbappé, seem so orphans when Griezmann is not there?

Even if it is only one match and we must avoid falling into the culture of the moment, it is clear that Didier Deschamps has his work cut out for him before the next continental event. With the return of his favorite player in June, we can imagine his relief at being able to fill many gaps. In a sport that is nevertheless collective, Griezmann reminds us to what extent an individuality can change everything, even for a selection installed very high in the world hierarchy.