Whisper it quietly, but is Antoine Griezmann actually good for Barcelona?

Between the summer of 2018 and the end of 2020, everything about Antoine Griezmann moving to Barcelona was hilarious.

Barcelona spent the 2018/19 season licking their wounds over Griezmann's La Decision and blatantly abusing the system to get the Frenchman's price tag down from £200m to an 'affordable' £107m, without even thinking for a second how he would fit into the team.

Predictably, his debut season was bad. He spent more time getting in Lionel Messi's way than actually scoring goals, earning himself a spot in the conversation for worst transfer of all time. It was a bit sad to watch, but if we're being honest, it was pretty funny at times.

Then 2021 arrived, and Griezmann erupted.

All of a sudden, Griezmann is tearing La Liga defences apart, smashing in goals and racking up the assists. He was the star of Barcelona's run to Copa del Rey glory and has combined with Messi and Ousmane Dembele to put Ronald Koeman's side in a commanding position in the league title race.

His 24 games in 2021 so far have yielded 13 goals and nine assists, a return only bettered by Messi and Villarreal's Gerard Moreno. His confidence is overflowing, and you only have to look at his two-goal haul against Villarreal for evidence of that.

Trailing 1-0, Griezmann dragged his side back into the game with an absolutely gorgeous half-volley chip - the kind of shot he would not have dreamed of trying just a few months ago - and he followed that up with a composed finish a few minutes later.

He's feeling it. He's really feeling it, and now Barcelona have remembered why they worked so hard to sign him in 2019.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why Griezmann has turned it up in 2021. Koeman's switch to a 3-4-2-1, which has moved the Frenchman into a central role as either a striker or a 10, has clearly helped, but Griezmann was showing signs of this upturn before that formation made its debut in March's 3-0 win over Sevilla.

Instead, this is a player who simply looks like he's figured it out. The hostility surrounding his move has died down, the chaos surrounding now-departed managers and presidents is over and Griezmann can simply focus on his football once again. That is what he has always needed.

Griezmann is loving Barcelona and Barcelona are loving Griezmann for the first time in an eternity, and that good will towards the Frenchman was evident in the dying embers of the recent 5-2 win over Granada, when Messi passed up the chance to bag a hat-trick in favour of giving Griezmann a last-minute penalty to keep his confidence building.

There's an argument to suggest that Messi is responsible for this all. After all, playing alongside the best player in the world in some of the best playmaking form of his life must be infectious, but a lot of credit must go to Koeman.

Away from the change in system, Koeman has managed to bring the club back down to earth and ensure that every player knows what representing Barcelona is all about.

Griezmann has benefited, but so have Dembele, Frenkie de Jong, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, all of whom have figured it out after a tricky period at Camp Nou.

The Dutch boss has finally got his team playing like one cohesive unit, and Griezmann has been an integral part of that transformation.

A few good months isn't enough to justify their £107m spend, but Griezmann is right on track, and if he can lead Barcelona to a surprise league title, he'll be one step closer.

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