Antoine Griezmann Fulfilling Diego Simeone's Vision of Him at Atletico Madrid

If you had asked Antoine Griezmann three months ago in what position he saw his future, he might have struggled to give you a definitive answer. 

In his opening months at Atletico Madrid, he'd played as a secondary striker, as a No. 10 and as a wide midfielder on both the left and the right. Not exactly the left wing—the position from where his excellence had earned him a €30 million move from Real Sociedad. 

But now, there's a clarity for the Frenchman. He can clearly see the future that might, briefly, have appeared cloudy. 

"I hope to become a real striker," Griezmann said, per Goal, after playing a starring role in Atletico's 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid on Saturday. "I am working a lot in front of goal and I'll try to get better every game."

The 23-year-old's conviction is yet another victory for manager Diego Simeone; he knew he'd lost a potent striker in Diego Costa who needed to be replaced. But ready-made, like-for-like replacements are hard to find. Costa is a unique beast. 

So Atletico Madrid and Simeone went a different way; they identified an outstanding young talent who could be moulded to their liking. They knew the technical quality was there in Griezmann. He just needed a relentless and demanding boss who wouldn't bow to him to help him harness every ounce of what they could see. 

Simeone, of course, is that man. Perhaps the most intense and unrelenting manager in the game. 

Griezmann, caught a little unaware, was in for a shock. But it was a shock he needed—a period of tough love. 

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The former Real Sociedad player admitted to the difficult time he initially endured under his new manager earlier this week.

"At first I struggled with El Cholo [Simeone] because he was so different from what I experienced at La Real and France," he told Al Primer Toque, per Football Espana, in the lead-up to Atleti's clash with Real Madrid. 

"He works with a different mentality [to my previous coaches], but now I'm enjoying it. I know I'm at the home of champions and I want to improve every year."

When he arrived at the Vicente Calderon, Griezmann wasn't just in for a period of learning and development. He was also in for a reality check. As ESPN FC's Lee Roden put it, "At Real Sociedad, Griezmann was one of the stars. At Atletico there are no stars." 

Simeone wasn't afraid to make the club's marquee signing aware of that, playing him both sporadically and out of position in his opening months at the club. In no way would "El Cholo" ever make Griezmann feel like a star.

Early substitutions were extremely regular. Brief appearances at the end of games were, too. There was a shift in mentality that was needed, an alteration in how he viewed his game and his status within a group of players. 

Until he'd fully embraced the Atletico way, the Simeone way, he'd be a peripheral figure. So peripheral that he wouldn't complete a full 90 minutes with his new team until Atleti's final game of 2014 against Athletic Bilbao—a match in which he scored a match-defining hat-trick with Mario Mandzukic suspended.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

That was a significant evening for all parties. For Atletico, it was an indication that the club's money had been well spent. For Griezmann, it was his coming-out party as an Atletico player. And for Simeone, it vindicated his vision—his belief that the €30 million talent could eventually be transformed from a promising winger into a hard-working, tenacious and truly outstanding striker. 

It had taken the better part of six months, but Simeone had done it. He'd pushed him. He'd challenged him. He'd moulded him.

In six months, "El Cholo" had crafted the player he wanted. 

"When I wasn't playing, the most important thing was to stay patient. The coach gave me confidence and I knew my time would come. With hard work and effort, you can achieve anything," the France international said this week, mirroring the sort of message that has so often been put forward by Simeone.   

"El Cholo is a great coach, he asks a lot of his players and demands a lot of intensity," Griezmann continued while speaking of his manager. "If your guard is down even a bit in training, Cholo tells you put extra effort in quickly. You wake up in the morning and feel energised."

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The change in Griezmann might have been more evident on Saturday against Real Madrid than it has been in any other of his impressive recent outings. 

For Saturday's performance was about so much more than his effort to beat Raphael Varane for his side's third goal. Against the European champions, he put together a wonderfully rounded display. A 90-minute exhibition of two-way excellence that defines the modern striker—the Atletico striker.  

It might have been a prototypical performance for the new Griezmann. For Simeone's Griezmann. 

Without possession, the Frenchman was consistently seen harassing Real Madrid's midfield metronome, Toni Kroos. The German, so often the architect of Los Blancos' sweeping moves, cut an exhausted and frustrated figure as he left the pitch following the final whistle after an ineffectual afternoon.

When the ball was won, it was Griezmann who led the counter-attacks for Atleti. It was Griezmann who charged at Real's under-strength back four. Who ran down balls thumped toward the corners. Who won aerial duels when he shouldn't have. Who drew two—and sometimes three—defenders with his running. His non-stop, tenacious running. 

When the time eventually came to poke home the goal to seal the result, Varane and Co. must have been sick of the sight of him—just how Simeone likes it. 

It was no surprise then when the Argentinian insisted it was the forward's finest game for Los Colchoneros.

"I'm happy about his words," Griezmann said after the game, per Inside Spanish Football, when asked of Simeone's praise. "He knows that I'm working. By dedicating myself to being well, I'm very comfortable here."

Comfortable in his new position. Comfortable at his new club. Comfortable with his new manager. 

With almost half a season still to play, Griezmann can only go higher. Simeone was the manager he needed, the manager whose vision he's now fulfilling.

Follow @TimDCollins