Antoine Griezmann is having a 'difficult' time at Barcelona, says Blaise Matuidi

Antoine Griezmann is going through a difficult time at Barcelona but still has many good years left at the club, according to his French teammate Blaise Matuidi.

Since joining the Catalan giants in a £108 million transfer in 2019, Antoine Griezmann has struggled to make an impact at the Camp Nou.

The 29-year-old has scored 15 goals in 51 appearances for Barcelona, averaging 0.29 goals per game, which is a significant drop from the 0.52 rate he garnered at Atletico Madrid.

Griezmann has asked for more respect. From Koeman, and the club in general. pic.twitter.com/zUBqTZZpLu

— total Barça (@totalBarca) October 8, 2020

Speaking to Canal, Matuidi acknowledged Antoine Griezmann's tough experience at Barcelona so far when the former said:

“He is still young. If he’s called me? He’s in one of the biggest clubs in the world. He has to go through this little difficult moment that he is going through in Barcelona. He still has many good years left at this club. He still has a long-term contract. I don’t know, the future will tell. But if one day he wants to come (to Inter Miami), of course, he will be welcome.”

Antoine Griezmann 'unhappy' at Barcelona

Antoine Griezmann, Blaise Matuidi and Laurent Koscielny (from left to right)

Antoine Griezmann's lacklustre performances for Barcelona haven't particularly affected his place in the French team. However, France manager Didier Deschamps is concerned about the number 7's recent ordeal in club football.

Deschamps also weighed in on Antoine Griezmann's situation earlier this month when he was quoted as saying that he didn't think that the forward was happy at the Camp Nou:

“I’m talking to him, and I’ll see him later. I am sure he is not happy with this situation. I don’t interfere with the use of my players in other clubs, be it at Barca or anywhere else. Antoine is playing on the right there at the moment. It’s true that Koeman said and told him that he did not understand that he was used to playing in a more central position. But Antoine must also adapt today."

Griezmann [32] now has more goals for France than Zidane and the fifth most overall ⚽ pic.twitter.com/XgjuYVBPuE

— Goal (@goal) October 8, 2020

Antoine Griezmann is a part of Ronald Koeman's first-choice front-four at Barcelona that includes Ansu Fati on the left, Philippe Coutinho down the middle and Lionel Messi up front.

Perhaps Barcelona would see an improvement in the returns of the French striker if he was utilised more centrally as was the case at Atletico Madrid. Nevertheless, it's a shame to see one of the most exciting players in the game go through such a prolonged lean spell.