Barcelona: Griezmann knew Camp Nou move "would be hard"
The France striker admitted he was finding it difficult to adjust to a new role on the pitch at Camp Nou after operating as a centre forward for so long.
France forward Antoine Griezmann has said that he knew his adaptation to life at Barcelona would not be easy after his 120m move to Camp Nou from Atlético Madrid last summer.
Speaking ahead of Les Bleus’ 2-1 European Championship qualifying victory over Moldova on Thursday, the 28-year-old explained that the switch imposed upon him due to the presence of Luis Suárez - from the centre of the attack to the left of a front three – was hard to assimilate as he was not used to position.
Griezmann last played as a winger while at Real Sociedad and has admitted it will take time to build an understanding with Leo Messi and Suárez. “Barcelona is a new landscape for me, in terms of my position on the pitch, but I’ll adapt. I’m learning. I knew it would be hard when I arrived but it’s going well,” the forward said.
Griezmann added that he felt more comfortable “when I played in the central attacking position, because I played there for a long time.”
Lenglet: "Barcelona have a very specific way of playing"
Clément Lenglet, Griezmann’s teammate at club and international level, had previously said that it was difficult to fit in at Barça after his own move from Sevilla in 2018 but backed his compatriot to succeed.
“Like in the French national team, there is a very specific way of playing - how we're positioned is different than what Antoine knew at Atlético, where he was starting from far back. You need time to adapt to feel better on the pitch and play as well as possible.”