Diego Simeone’s Reaction To Antoine Griezmann’s Late Cameo Is Just Sad To See

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone admitted that he was stunned that Antoine Griezmann was reduced to a late cameo appearance for Barcelona.

Griezmann, 29, ended a five-year stint with Atletico last summer after Barcelona triggered his £107m release clause and signed him up to a five-year deal.

But the French forward has not had the same impact at Barca as he did during his time at his former side.

Griezmann came on as a substitute in the 90th minute as Barcelona were held to a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou on Tuesday.

When asked about the World Cup winner's situation, Simeone told Movistar: "I'm without words."

Griezmann was an instrumental player under Simeone and won the Spanish Super Cup and Europa League during his time at Atletico.

The France international started on the bench against Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla in recent weeks as he has struggled to maintain a place in the starting XI.

Griezmann, who has only scored 14 times in 43 appearances this season, has failed to find the back of the net since Barcelona's 1-1 draw against Napoli in February.

Barcelona manager Quique Setien claims that it is difficult to put Griezmann on "without destabilising the team."

He added: "I understand it's tough for Griezmann to come on when so little time [is] left. I will speak with him tomorrow, I won't say sorry because [it's about] decisions.

"But I understand he may feel bad and I feel bad for him because he's a great person and professional."

Barcelona took the lead early on after Diego Costa, who missed a penalty in the first half, bundled the ball past Jan Oblak.

Saul Niguez pulled one back for Atletico in the first half from the spot-kick, while Lionel Messi scored a brilliant penalty in the second half to restore Barca's lead.

However, Niguez would once again beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen from the spot-kick as Atletico managed to secure a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona are now one point behind fierce rivals Real Madrid, who could open a four-point lead at the top if they beat Getafe on Thursday.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann, La Liga, Barca, Camp Nou, Diego Simeone

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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