Atlético out-ran Madrid by ten kilometres in derby draw
Atléti registered less than 40% possession for the fourth consecutive match. Koke topped the running charts, as he covered 12.81 kilometres at the Bernabéu.
Diego Simeone emerged unscathed from the Bernabéu once again, as Antoine Griezmann scored a late equaliser to close the match at 1-1. Atlético Madrid secured a positive result for the fourth consecutive match, and did so in a similar manner to the previous three: without the ball. In each of their last four matches, Atléti have had less than 40% of possession. On this occasion, Los Rojiblancos managed with 38.7%.
Atléti cover every blade of grass
Off the ball, the team worked tirelessly. As a collective, Atlético ran ten kilometres further than Real Madrid; 113 to the home team’s 103. Yet, as the match entered its final stages, Cholo’s team appeared fresh. They were in the ascendancy. With the Champions League quarter-final match with Leicester approaching in midweek, it will be interesting to see if there is a cumulative effect of Atléti’s physical endeavours.
Run Koke, run
Koke topped the running charts for Atléti, recording a total distance run of 12.81 kilometres. By comparison, Modric ran the furthest distance for the home side, with 10.39 kilometres. After Koke came Gabi, with exactly 12 kilometres, and Griezmann, with 10.09.
In addition to his Forrest Gump qualities, Koke also completed 59 of his 65 attempted passes (90.8% success rate), and won the ball back 11 times, more than any other of his teammates.
