Griezmann will win the next Ballon d'Or
Antoine Griezmann can claim his place at the 'top table' alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Against Espanyol the French striker marked the difference between the sides and his goals this season have been key in securing a current third placing for Atletico in LaLiga and Simeone's men in a Champions League semi-final against city rivals Real Madrid.
'Griezy' for the Ballon d'Or
With the season coming to a close, his performances during the campaign make him a worthy candidate for the next Ballon d'Or award. Atleti are rock-solid at the back but need Griezmann to keep finding the target.
Atleti DNA
The old brigade from Simeone's era are still doing the business with Gabi and Godín key pillar stones protecting Slovenian stopper Jan Oblak. Against Espanyol Simeone made the right changes too with the changes involving Thomas and Fernando Torres which forced Giménez to assist on the wing and Atleti did what they do best in denying their rival from creating goal scoring opportunities. Consolidating third place in LaLiga looks likely for the "Rojiblancos" ahead of Tuesday's key game against Villarreal el martes and a win could permit El Cholo to rotate against Las Palmas with the first leg of the Champions semi-final taking place on May 2nd. It's a shame that Atleti let so many points slip in the first half of of the campaign as they could easily be title contenders now if it hadn't been for dropping those points.
