"Not just Griezmann": Koeman task other players to step up in Messi absent

The coach hails Antoine for his latest displays but says it's not just the French striker who should step forward when Messi is unavailable.

He believes other players should also contribute, both the strikers and the midfielders.

"Not just Griezmann, you don’t have to put pressure on him, he’s always fighting for the team," Ronald Koeman said when asked whether Antoine Griezmann has to step up while Leo Messi is unavailable.

On Antoine, the coach added: "In the last few games he’s playing well and helping the team, he scored two goals in the Super Cup final."

Koeman continued: "It’s not just Griezmann, we need goals from other players too, from the strikers, the midfielders. We have to focus not only on Griezmann. We have Dembele, Trincao, Braithwaite ... they all have to step forward."

Leo Messi missed 2 of the last 3 games: first, with an injury and the most recent one due to a suspension. He will still serve his ban against Elche today.

In these 2 matches without Messi, Barca managed 3 goals, excluding the penalty shootout. Frenkie de Jong, Ousmane Dembele and Martin Braithwaite were on the scoresheet.

As for Griezmann, he has scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists in the last 5 games in all competitions.