Easy, easy for Griezy in Barça’s fight against Osasuna

That is what we were waiting for.

It took a while, but Antoine Griezmann’s performance against a stubborn Osasuna was exactly what he needed.

He displayed character, a strong work ethic and a keen eye for goal, and his complete overall game, for once, cannot be faulted.

Is it too little too late?

With the transfer window just a few weeks away, the Frenchman could still get a penny on the market and, injury permitting, Barca certainly have players to cover his absence in the short term at the very least.

Perhaps this was a kind of wake-up call for the culers and the Barça hierarchy. ‘I’m still here.’

Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images

That volley was absolutely sublime, but it will be overshadowed in the day by the simple but effective tribute of Leo Messi to Diego Maradona.

Messi himself, although at times he does not reach the heights of which he is capable, probably played his best game of the season so far.

Enjoying playing in the pockets, the diminutive Argentine chose those of Osasuna’s defense at every possible opportunity.

He had the opportunity to do so thanks to a very clever center-forward game from Martin Braithwaite.

The Dane is still heavily maligned by a section of Barcelona’s fan base, but he cannot do more than make life difficult for Ronald Koeman when he plays.

Photo by David S. Bustamante / Soccrates / Getty Images

However, a sloppy goal is a goal, and it gives the Catalans an advantage and purpose in attack. If you get a chance to see the highlights, do nothing but follow Braithwaite’s movement.

That should settle the argument that the forward is only at the Camp Nou to offset the numbers. You just need to add more goals to your Barca CV at this point really.

Although the trio appears to have been a surprise choice for Koeman, they all fit together very well and worked well together.

Having Braithwaite as a natural spearhead and Griezmann in the areas he normally loves to roam around, Barça looked much more threatening.

Not only did he open the channels for Messi to find space, but he allowed the last runners to arrive with virtually no competition.

Four goals this time, and the truth is that it could have been six or seven.

If there’s one sour note to take away from the experience, aside from Clement Lenglet’s miserable ankle injury, it’s that Philippe Coutinho was still a shadow of the player we know he can be.

With Ousmane Dembélé deserving a start, perhaps the Brazilian will be the long-term scapegoat.

However, now is not the time to wallow. Great performance, goals in abundance and only three points from Real Madrid with one game less.

We would all have had it before the weekend.