Jeremy mathieu He played three seasons for Barcelona (between 2014 and 2017). The already retired French player had his ups and downs at Can Barça although with the Catalans he won the Champions League in 2015. Although injuries and his bad game in the first leg of the quarterfinals in the 2017 edition against Juventus conditioned his time at Barcelona. With the Catalan club he won all possible titles.
Mathieu was in the program 'Tu Diràs', of RAC1, reviewing the news of Barcelona and specifically of his compatriots in the Catalan club: Lenglet, Umtiti and Griezmann.
Bad times at Barça: “I had a very bad time last year at Barça. I had the feeling that the defeat in Turin was my fault, but I don't understand why they killed me, they play football 11.”
His status in the dressing room: “I felt alone in the dressing room, nobody supported you and, for me, that is not football. Everyone kills Lenglet now I know what he is. He must try to be positive to turn it around and do the best possible.”
Relationship with Luis Enrique: “I didn't talk to Luis Enrique all year. I needed a bit of effect, at Sporting I had it, they encouraged me, but in Barcelona, nothing. For example, the game against Malaga that I made a mistake, he didn't tell me nothing the next day. No sentence. “
Griezmann: “Griezmann is not at the level of Atlético de Madrid. Personally, I think he was wrong signing for Barça. At Atlético he was a very important piece, and I don't know if he has it in Barcelona.”
Being a defender at Barça: “The most important thing in the center-backs is that they have complicity on the field. If you don't, the defense suffers a lot. I don't know if they have this complicity at Barça at the moment.”
A team under construction: “The generational replacement is difficult, you must look for an important striker and defense piece. The problem is that players like Busquets and Piqué have given a lot to the club, it is not easy to change these players. Let's see what the new president does.”
Umtiti: “When you come out of an injury it is difficult to return to 100% and I think that is what happened to him. He is a world champion, he has been a very great player, but he is far from his best version. He must work more, he also has to work mentally. “