Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona: 3 talking points | LaLiga 2019/2020

#2 Subdued debuts for Antoine Grizmann and Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong did not have the best of times

When Luis Suarez suffered an injury in the 35th minute, extra attacking responsibility was placed upon the shoulders of Antoine Griezmann.

The French international had arrived Barcelona with a high reputation, but having struggled during pre-season, it was expected that he would spark to life upon his competitive debut for Barcelona.

However, that proved to not be the case, as Griezmann was a virtual passenger for most of the game, failing to offer any genuine threat to Barcelona's attacking output.

The 28-year-old spent most of his time tracking back to help in midfield at the negligence of his primary duties, with the result being that he failed to muster a single shot on target in 90 minutes in what was a largely forgettable debut for the former Atletico Madrid man.

By contrast, Frenkie de Jong had a splendid pre-season campaign, and was Barcelona's standout player and it was believed that he would bring this form with him to competitive action.

However, at the San Mames, de Jong was a shadow of himself, as the 22-year-old was largely overrun in the middle by the Athletic Bilbao midfielders.

Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann are undoubted talents, and they would need to put their poor debuts behind them quickly and showcase their abilities in Barcelona colours.