Although Lionel Messi and Morocco have dominated the FIFA World Cup 2022, another remarkable story has been Antoine Griezmann, arguably France’s most important player and an unsung hero in this campaign thus far.
At the 2022 World Cup, Griezmann has been lauded for his selfless, immense and reliable performances for his nation. He currently leads the entire tournament in several statistics and has completely redefined his role.
Hence, here on Main Stand with writer Agastya Bajaj, we dissect how Griezmann has reinvented his role at the 2022 World Cup, tactically analyzing how he has been France’s most pivotal player and why he will push Leo Messi for the Golden Ball later tonight.
Selfless superstar
To international fans, his stellar performances aren’t a surprise. Griezmann has played a key part in France’s success over the past few international tournaments, including the 2018 World Cup where he led France to glory then.
Unfortunately, since that tournament, the French superstar hasn’t had the best club career. The Frenchmen signed for Barcelona after the World Cup but could not discover his world-class form for the Catalonian giants and was dropped to the bench.
He was eventually loaned out to Atletico Madrid, where he amassed the bulk of his club success. But his stint with his former employers also hasn’t gone too well, with the flamboyant Frenchmen still unable to rediscover those elite heights.
However at this tournament, Griezmann has flourished at a world class level, redefining his role.
Instead of playing in his renowned advanced and attacking role in the final third, Griezmann has moved into the midfield, occupying the number 8 position.
The established international hasn’t just moved into the midfield but rather a deeper role in the midfield.
With injuries to key midfielders such as Paul Pogba, France’s midfield depth has been in dire condition.
To fill these midfield gaps, France manager Didier Deschamps decided to turn to the experienced Griezmann, rather than utilizing players who already occupy those deeper midfield roles at the club level.
This was an unorthodox decision, with Deschamps playing France’s renowned goalscoring outlet in a deeper midfield role.
However, to no surprise, Griezmann was willing to do what it took to satisfy the requirements of his manager’s system and nation.
“Without a great defense, you don’t win the big competitions. We’re all focused on that, even if we have attacking players,” said Griezmann.
Griezmann’s heat map has evolved extraordinarily over the past few competitions in this deeper role.
On the top, a graphic by the Athletic depicts Griezmann’s average positioning in the previous World Cup tournaments.
While the image on the bottom highlights Griezmann’s heatmap in the semi-final clash against Morocco.
Based on this, it’s evident that Griezmann was previously higher up the pitch, receiving the ball in advanced areas on the flanks.
In this edition of the tournament, his presence can be seen across the pitch, with Griezmann regularly involved defensively.
Not only has his ability to cover the entire pitch been lauded, but he has also demonstrated remarkable creativity, rivaled by only the greatest playmaker ever in Messi at this tournament.
As a matter of fact, Griezmann is the first player to accumulate over 20 big chances created at this tournament. He also leads the entire tournament for the joint most assists, expected assists and chances created.
Stats don’t lie
The Frenchman's playmaking has relentlessly been on display in the knockouts. Most effectively seen in France’s 2-1 win against England, where Griezmann provided the two key and elegant assists to send his nation to the semi-finals.
In the same clash, Griezmann was the most influential player defensively and committed worker on the pitch. The flamboyant superstar’s remarkable and reliable stat line against England displays his work rate in and out of possession across the pitch.
100% tackles won
100% aerial duels won
88% pass accuracy
58 touches
38 passes completed
3/3 long balls completed
2 key passes
2 assists
In the following clash against Morocco in the semi-finals, the French superstar was, once again, the most influential player on the pitch.
81% pass accuracy
48 touches
6 ground duels won
4 key passes
3/4 crosses completed
3 clearances
2 interceptions
2 tackles won
1 big chance created
French superstar Pogba described Griezmann as “Griezmannkante” on his social media, giving his teammate immense praise for his selfless performances dropping deep and dictating the state of play in and out of possession.
In fact, Griezmann himself said, “It’s quite freeing, being there in the relationship between defense and forwards, defensively switched-on and helping my team-mates offensively.”
The Athletic eloquently described Griezmann’s contributions in this deeper role by stating, “He has an innate sense of where to be to enable him to pickpocket the ball in defensive areas, spray passes to maintain possession in midfield, and dart upfield to join forays into the opposition box. Griezmann brings a certain poise to the team’s makeup.”
His performances have been culpable for France’s progress in this tournament, with his quick feet, workaholic attributes, range of passing and ability to win the ball back pivotal.
Although he may not receive the same praise as the team’s superstar Kylian Mbappe, Griezmann’s contributions shouldn’t go unnoticed and it’s hard to argue why he shouldn’t be a Golden Ball contender.
Still trailing Messi and Mbappe in those rankings respectively, with the voting decided before the final, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Griezmann’s selfless and reliable performances give Leo Messi a run for his money.
Griezmann redefining himself denotes why the Frenchman's contributions should be highly praised, revered and recognized for his class and selfless nature.
Sources
https://www.365scores.com/news/2022-12-16-world-cup-france-griezmann-unsung-hero/
https://theathletic.com/3978758/2022/12/07/antoine-griezmann-france-unsung-hero/
