How Antoine Griezmann’s transfer to Barcelona will affect Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez

When Barcelona could call upon the potent combination of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, their MSN trident left them in with a chance of turning any game into victory.

Fast forward to the summer of 2019 and the purchase of Antoine Griezmann leaves the club with a new acronym – perhaps SMG would be apt. Ernesto Valverde is certainly going to have some additional firepower in his squad as we head towards the 2019-20 campaign.

Beyond their marquee trio, Barça can still call upon Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Malcom in their first-team plans, while youth options Abel Ruiz (19) and Alejandro Marques (18) have both been involved in Spain’s Under-19 plans this summer. There is plenty of depth after the arrival of Griezmann, while Neymar is another rumoured signing in what would be a very busy and expensive transfer window should the Brazilian be able to make a move back to Catalonia materialise.

Here are three ways Barcelona could line up in attack this season:

Balancing out the left

Griezmann is no stranger to playing out on the left-hand side of the attack. While impressing at Real Sociedad between 2009 and 2014, the Frenchman featured on the left wing and helped to balance out a team that had their most creative outlet, ex-Arsenal forward Carlos Vela, on the opposite flank. In many ways, the same will be true at Camp Nou, where Messi will provide the most prominent attacking threat while drifting in from the right.

Last season, Valverde struggled to get the balance right in attack at times. Going with Dembele or Coutinho on the left wing hasn’t got the defensive balance right – an important factor given how Jordi Alba likes to hare forward and attack the byline. Neither player embraces their defensive duties effectively, whereas Griezmann has shown that he can work for the collective at Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid and for France on the international stage.

Not only does Griezmann have quality contributions to make in the final third, but his running and tenacity are useful to ensure that he isn’t only an effective presence when Barça have possession. A rare and welcome trait for an attacking player that already has plenty of offensive output. The 28-year-old can drift inside and be a direct threat, which should compliment Alba’s desire to get around the outside well, leaving Messi and Suarez to feature in the familiar roles that they played in effectively last campaign.

Giving Suarez a rest

It is no secret that Suarez has had recurring knee complaints for a couple of years. The 32-year-old will be well aware that he has to look after his body to still be able to play at the highest level for both club and country. The Uruguay international rushed back after undergoing surgery on a meniscus injury to feature at this summer’s Copa America, while over the last four La Liga seasons he has been an ever-present figure at the head of Barça’s attack. Some respite wouldn’t hurt.

Griezmann was the main man in attack for Atleti since making his big money move from Real Sociedad, slotting into a front two as opposed to featuring on the left wing in the Basque country. Asked to provide the creative heartbeat of Diego Simeone’s side, dropping deep to help out in defence as well as get his side moving quickly and with purpose on the break, the Frenchman has the engine and intelligence to lead the line and link things together. During Les Bleus’ World Cup winning campaign, he scored or assisted eight of France’s 14 goals.

Armed with the pace to get in behind if given the space to do so, as well as the close control and spatial awareness to bounce passes back to onrushing midfielders arriving in support of the attack, Griezmann is a nice mix of creator and finisher. Though his ice-cold goalscoring expertise is not quite on the same sub-zero temperature as an unforgiving hitman such as Suarez, he brings a more varied skillset to the table, while still retaining the understanding of how to operate as a dangerous No 9.

Can Griezmann replace Messi?

Unfortunately, Messi is mortal and may soon need to reduce his minutes. The Argentine currently has two years left on his deal and having recently turned 32, some thought has to be put in at Camp Nou as to how managing without their talismanic forward might work moving forwards. Primarily left footed, with Messi’s hallmark being his ability to drift from the right wing and generate goalscoring opportunities out of thin air, Griezmann would at least be able to offer the same direct goal threat when cutting onto his own preferred left boot.

If the France international were to feature on the right, it could allow Barça to utilise a player such as Dembele more freely on the opposite wing. When Valverde has used both Dembele and Messi in the same front three, there hasn’t been a sense of real balance when out of possession. Both players want to make something happen and define the game by what they can create with their close control and pacy dribbling. Griezmann would be more switched on and defensively responsible while off the ball, allowing for more of a luxury player like Dembele to stretch their legs without as many worries about the consequences of losing possession high upfield.

Although Griezmann may not arrive at Camp Nou and immediately offer a season where everything he touches turns to gold, the 28-year-old does unlock a lot of other possibilities. His versatility adds untold amounts of depth and will take strain off players who have been heavily involved and key for many years. Capable of featuring across the forward line, Valverde will get the tactical flexibility and balance in attack that he has been so keen to find over the last two years. Not only that, but he welcomes a creative, complete player who has been vital to both Atleti and his country – a man capable of extracting more from pre-existing options while offering his own star quality on top.