Lionel Messi posing a barrier to Griezmann expressing himself, claims Arsene Wenger

French superstar Antoine Griezmann hasn't been his usual self since his move to Barcelona in 2019. former Atletico Mrid forward has struggled to string toger a run of form under three subsequent manrs at u Camp, with fans expressing ir dissatisfaction over his performances. However, Arsenal's iconic former manr Arsene Wenger has pinned blame for Griezmann's debacle on club legend Lionel Messi. 

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Arsene Wenger urges Ronald Koeman to play Griezmann as a striker 

Speaking to beIN Sports, Wenger claimed that playing away from ir natural position for a long period has a detrimental impact on form of a player. Indeed, Griezmann, who played and succeeded as a striker at Wanda Metropolita has been frequently deployed on wings at Barcelona. His position on wing hasn't proved fruitful for World Cup-winning Frenchman. 

Wenger believes that a player accepts a position or than his natural role initially but gets discourd over a period of time if he feels he is unable to express his qualities. Wenger went on to offer a piece of vice to Barca manr Ronald Koeman, asserting that manr should play Griezmann in centre.

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Arsene Wenger pins blame on Lionel Messi ahe of El Clasico 2020

2018 World Cup winner has a great work rate and possesses precision in his passes, said former Arsenal manr. But re's trouble for Frenchman, insists Wenger. Griezmann could offer goals for Barcelona, but frontline appears congested in presence of Messi, which is why he struggles to produce anything in front of goal.

In his first LaLiga campaign with Barcelona, Griezmann netted nine goals and registered four assists in 35 appearances. In all, he scored 15 goals previous season; a steep decline in his form since his move to Camp u. While Koeman initially waxed lyrical about deploying Griezmann in his preferred position, things have yet to for former Atletico Mrid main man.

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Messi and Griezmann to start El Clasico 2020?

Although Koeman hinted a pivotal role for 29-year-old, he did t bag a single minute in Champions League opener. Moreover, return of Philippe Coutinho after completion of his loan spell from Bayern Munich and rise of Ansu Fati has furr spelt trouble for Griezmann. It remains to be seen if Messi and Griezmann start toger in El Clasico showdown that on Saturday. 

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Im courtesy: fifa.com, Barcelona Instagram