Antoine Griezmann has urged Barcelona fans to have patience after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener.
Much was made of Griezmann’s controversial summer arrival from Atletico Madrid, with the French World Cup winner expected to form a formidable forward axis alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
But Suarez and Messi have both experienced injury problems early on whilst Griezmann has had a slow start to life with the Catalan giants.
After being unable to break down Dortmund in a game which saw Messi return as a substitute, Griezmann demanded patience as they establish an on-field connection.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
“I have been at the club for just two months,” Griezmann said.
“I am still getting used to playing here, and the roles and movements of my teammates.
“Also, I am still adjusting to playing with Suarez, Messi and Dembele, as they are with me.
“But I am confident that we are moving in the right direction as a team.”
(Image: EMPICS Sport)
Meanwhile, the row over Griezmann’s move to Barcelona could lead to the club being forced to play a game behind closed doors.
Atletico are determined not to let the matter of Griezmann’s controversial summer switch lie , and remain adamant that Barcelona owe them more than the £107million they paid for the World Cup winner in the summer.
A release clause in Griezmann’s contract set at that figure kicked in during the latter half of the summer transfer window, having previously stood at £178million.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
The club from the Spanish capital are claiming that surplus £71million as they claim that the transfer had already been set up long before the lower release clause kicked in.
Barca say that they have done nothing wrong, but Atletico’s pursuit of the money has led to a Spanish Football Federation investigation, which is currently being overseen by a top judge.
Goal.com claim that one of the punishments that could be meted out to Barca is the closure of their stadium for a league game.
However, they add that the much more likely punishment would be a fine, and a meagre one at that.
