“You are simply a passenger,” says Barcelona star Griezmann’s father in rant against Blaugrana

Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann's father has criticised manager Quique Setien in a now-deleted Instagram post.

Griezmann has been named as a substitute in three of the last four Barcelona games. Having been named on the bench for the match against Atletico Madrid, Griezmann was seen warming up for the entire second half. He was finally brought on by Setien in the 89th minute.

Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann in action

Barcelona manager admits that Griezmann "destabilises" team

Barcelona manager Setien was questioned about dropping the French forward post the Atletico Madrid game. The Spaniard had stated that while he understood the situation, he found it difficult to fit Griezmann into the first team. He further went on to state that the 29-year old "destabilised" the team when he played.

☄️ Alain Griezmann, padre de @AntoGriezmann, carga contra Setién en Instagram🔑 "Para hablar debes tener las llaves del camión y tú simplemente eres un pasajero pic.twitter.com/8RosKnpX7z

— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) July 1, 2020

These are worrying words for Griezmann. The Real Sociedad academy graduate joined Barcelona from Atletico Madrid for a fee of €120 million last summer. After a slow start, it looked as if the World Cup winner had found his feet. However, Setien's appointment in January seems to have pushed the winger down the pecking order.

Setien also confirmed that he would speak to the French international, but wouldn't apologise for his decision. The Barcelona forward's family members took to social media to express their anger.

Antoine's father, Alain Griezmann, in a now-deleted Instagram post, appeared to take a dig at the 61-year old manager.

"In order to speak you must have the keys to the truck, and you are simply a passenger."

It was not just the forward's father. Griezmann's brother took to Twitter to express his disappointment at the lack of playing minutes against Atletico Madrid.

Antoine Griezmann's brother Theo expressed his dissatisfaction with Quique Setién on Twitter during the game yesterday. He wrote over the fact Griezmann only played two minutes, as well as stating that he wanted to cry. A few minutes later, he deleted the tweets. [sport] pic.twitter.com/ENPrAC6PWi

— ᴊᴀʏᴅᴇɴ (@XaviPistachio_) July 1, 2020

It is not the first time that a Barcelona player's family member has criticised Setien. Midfielder Arthur's mother too had taken to social media to reproach Setien for accusing her son of not playing well. Arthur is now set to join Italian giants Juventus this summer, with Miralem Pjanic coming to Barcelona.

---

---

Griezmann's signing had raised some eyebrows among Barcelona fans when it happened. After five seasons under Diego Simeone where he played 257 games and scored 133 goals, the Frenchman moved to the Catalan club. So far this season, he has made 42 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists. Out of those 42, 36 have been starts.

Reports are suggesting that Barcelona are on the verge of sacking Setien. With players and Setien's coaching staff seemingly at odds, dissatisfaction grows daily at Barcelona. Setien's assistant manager Eder Sarabia seems to be a point of confrontation as well. Recently a video did rounds in social media which showed Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi ignoring Sarabia's instructions.

Quique Setien's Barcelona career might be over

Barcelona are now a point behind table-toppers Real Madrid, having played a game more. Should Setien depart, club legend Xavi and Barcelona B manager Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta are under consideration. This would be a sad end for Setien at Barcelona, with the Spaniard known to be a fan of Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff and his playing style.

---