2023-06-18 18:13:34
From the captaincy given to Kylian Mbappé to his desire to do the Olympic Games with the Blues, Antoine Griezmann delivered himself bluntly this Sunday in a press conference before facing Greece on Monday (8:45 p.m. at the Stade de France), for the playoffs of Euro 2024.
You mentioned the choice of captaincy given to Mbappé in Téléfoot, did that put your future in the France team in question?
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN. I moved on. I love football so there was no reason to stop the selection, it never crossed my mind. As I said to Téléfoot, I accepted the decision, I am behind Kylian Mbappé. I will do my best to help him. I’ll have to be released. [Sourires]
How do you judge Camavinga’s status today, do you look at it differently now?
I find him much stronger and physically sharper. At these beginnings, we saw a player who liked the ball, who was comfortable with it. Today, he knows how to play in 6, in 8 or as a left side. You can put him anywhere, he won’t get angry, he’s there to help the team and that’s something I love about him. He listens, that’s the most important thing.
How can we manage to play a 78th game in a row for the France team? Because no one had done this before you…
You need a coach who has confidence in you, in what you can bring to the team. You have to be lucky with injuries. I don’t want to miss training, I want to be with my teammates, often that makes me forget the difficulties. It’s beautiful, we’ll realize later, I want this series to continue.
You dream of participating in the Paris Olympics, have you already spoken to your club and your leaders?
I haven’t spoken with the coach or the leaders but it would be a dream for me. There is a coach who will take players, but will my club let me go? If I am called up, I will put extraordinary pressure on the club to do them. It’s a dream, a goal, especially in France. I feel like it, it would be a dream to experience it from the inside.
Do you see your future with the Blues after 2024? In 2026 for example?
As I said just before, I will have to get out of the selection. I love the France team too much. You have to be level too. You can want to be there without having the level. As long as I have the level, I want to be there as long as possible.
How do you see your role in the team today? You happen to play midfielder…
It depends on the opponent, the needs of the team and my teammates. If it’s a block that likes to press, I try to help the midfielders to get the ball out and give it to my attackers. I like to give what is needed for the team on the field. I like to be in the right place at the right time. I do according to the needs of the coach. I’m higher in the club. Against Greece, to see what the coach wants but it depends on the teams opposite.
Tomorrow will be your 61st game of the season. Isn’t the schedule too heavy today?
It doesn’t bother me because I love being on the pitch, it takes you a little longer to recover but after that it depends on the intensity of the match. It can be dangerous, especially if you go to a World Cup every two years. We need this vacation. But hey, we players can’t do anything but there’s someone upstairs who wants to do that. We have physiotherapists and techniques to recover, it improves year after year. In the future, we will all be adapted to this.
What is your status today with the Blues?
I’m not someone who speaks in the locker room, after maybe once in a while. I try to be a bit of a guide in the field, trying to find solutions, but outside I’m not going to force it. As vice-captain, I don’t put this pressure on myself to absolutely speak.
What difference does it make to have Kolo Muani in front of you instead of Olivier Giroud?
He is another player than Giroud, another profile. There are not yet automations but it will happen. He is a player who can lean on but he makes a lot of calls behind the backs of defenders. He has less presence than a 9 pivot like Olivier.
We know your dream of playing in the USA. What do you think of Lionel Messi leaving for Miami and could you go too?
For MLS, it’s wonderful to have Leo’s image and talent. It’s still a dream for me but not now. I want to go there in the best conditions to win there, that remains an objective.
Are you more proud of your goals or your assists in the national team?
On the one hand, I will say the goals for my son because he likes when his dad scores and makes my celebrations. But as a player and team-mate, I prefer assists which are a bit more complicated.
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