Not Messi? The reason behind Griezmann’s Barca struggles explained

The World Cup winner’s struggles at Barcelona aren’t down to Messi, with a former coach revealing how he’ll bloom again.

Philippe Montanier, who coached Antoine Griezmann at Real Sociedad, doubts the Frenchman has any problem with Lionel Messi and believes he can rediscover his spark by enjoying his football once again.

Griezmann’s struggles over at Camp Nou have been well documented on. He hasn’t justified his €120m price tag from last year, with a mere 17 goals and five assists in 57 appearances to his name.

Part of the reason for the 29-year-old’s woes is a fractured relationship with the club’s star man and skipper Messi.

A former agent, Eric Olhats, recently claimed Griezmann has been victim to a ‘regime of terror’ by Messi. He also stated the Argentine didn’t view ‘Antoine’s arrival with a good eye’.

🎙Eric Olhats [ex – agent]: Griezmann 🇫🇷 arrived at a club with serious problems where Messi 🇦🇷 controls everything. He is both emperor and monarch and did not see Antoine's arrival with good eyes. It is the regime of terror. Either you are with him, or you are against him. #FCB pic.twitter.com/N19PcD3n1K

— RouteOneFootball (@Route1futbol) November 10, 2020

But while acknowledging Messi’s mood can influence events at Barcelona, Montanier reckons there is a simple fix for his old player.

The now-Standard Liege boss told La Voix du Nord: “Everyone loves Antoine.

“Apart from his immense talent, he’s a real fighter, he works hard, he always puts himself at the team’s service.

“He has never had any ego problems as long as I’ve known him and I don’t think he ever will.

“We’ve seen what he is like with France. When Kylian Mbappé came onto the scene, he immediately stepped to one side to give him a chance to break into the side.

“He’s had the misfortune to slip into a difficult moment, at a Barcelona which is in the middle of a crisis and dependent on the moods of Messi, which affects every level of the club.

“Sometimes a beautiful flower asphyxiates another.

“Griezmann needs to enjoy his football, play and joke to get the most out of his potential. But that’s not the impression you get watching him at the moment.”