Ranking and Grading Atletico Madrid Players on Performances vs. Juventus
Atletico Madrid fought out a 0-0 draw with Juventus in Turin on Tuesday as the Spanish champions secured top spot in Group A of the Champions League.
Defending resolutely amid a first-half onslaught from the hosts, Diego Simeone's men negotiated the best of what Juventus had to throw at them before the safety of a stalemate became the focus for both sides.
For the visitors, the clash marked a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the European competition since an opening defeat to Olympiakos, strengthening Los Colchoneros' quest to repeat last season's deep run.
Across the following slides, we grade and rank each of Atletico's players on their performances from Tuesday's final group match.
11. Mario Mandzukic
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Grade: C-
It's these types of games where Mario Mandzukic really struggles and Atletico Madrid dearly miss Diego Costa.
Pinned back in their own half for large periods, the visitors needed an outlet once possession was won. They needed their old, one-man counter-attack to haul them up the pitch and single-handedly expand their shape.
Mandzukic, lacking pace and unable to carry the ball on his own, couldn't provide it. Instead, he largely watched the game move around him, and, on the few occasions he became involved, couldn't hold the ball up and allow his midfield runners to push up in support.
Unless Atletico can control a game's tempo and press high themselves, the Croatian is limited in what he can do for Diego Simeone.
10. Guilherme Siqueira
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Grade: C-
Diego Simeone typically prefers Cristian Ansaldi at left-back in difficult away matches. But with the Argentinian missing through injury, the manager was forced to go with the more unpredictable Guilherme Siqueira against Juventus.
Not all that surprisingly, the Brazilian was the visitors' point of weakness in an otherwise superb back four, flying in for rash challenges (he gave away four fouls) and, on a different day with another referee, could have been sent off for a rather wild kick to the leg of Fernando Llorente.
For Siqueira to be effective, he needs regular opportunities to fly down the left flank in attack. Dogged defending just isn't in his makeup.
9. Raul Garcia
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Grade: C
You can never fault Raul Garcia's work rate or tenacity. While technically inferior to some of his team-mates, the Spaniard is as reliable as they come for Diego Simeone.
But on Tuesday against Juventus, Garcia wasn't helped by his positioning from the manager.
Instead of starting as a secondary forward in the team's 4-4-2, he began the night on the right flank in the place of Arda Turan, who in-turn moved alongside Mario Mandzukic.
Although the idea was clear—Simeone wanted the ball-retentive Turk to aid his striker, with the robust Garcia bolstering the team's second bank of four in defence—the switch took away from Atletico's primary supply of attack (the right-flank combination of Juanfran and Turan) and harmed their ability to pose a genuine threat to the hosts.
Thus, while Garcia's work without the ball was sound as usual, he had little impact when his side was in possession.
8. Koke
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Grade: C
This was an unusually quiet performance from Koke, who came into this final Champions League group clash with Juventus as Atletico Madrid's most influential figure in the European competition.
With his team unable to control the game's tempo and flow, the precocious Spaniard was denied the opportunities to pick apart the home side in an attritional affair. And with the usual Arda Turan-Juanfran combination not in operation on the night (the Turk was used as a secondary forward as well as on the left), Koke's favoured outlet wasn't present either.
An early chance that drew a save from Gianluigi Buffon was about the only moment of significance for the 22-year-old.
7. Mario Suarez
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Grade: B
Surprisingly picked ahead of Tiago for Tuesday's clash, Mario Suarez put in one of his better performances of the season against Juventus.
Starting alongside Gabi in the heart of Diego Simeone's midfield, the Spaniard was solid as one of his team's two central anchors and helped Atletico Madrid fend off the hosts' first-half barrage.
Although Carlos Tevez was able to skip past him on one occasion to draw a free-kick, Suarez's sound performance continued in the second half when the visitors switched to a 4-1-4-1 with the Spaniard operating as the deepest midfielder.
He also went close to scoring either side of half-time.
6. Gabi
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Grade: B
Gabi still hasn't quite hit the heights of last season in the current campaign, but his tireless showing against Juventus on Tuesday night was one of his better ones in 2014-15.
Consistently harassing the likes of Roberto Pereyra, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, the Atletico Madrid captain was able to close down spaces and halt some of the home side's passing sequences in a difficult opening half for Diego Simeone's men.
Like many of his team-mates, the veteran struggled to make an impact in possession, but he can walk away knowing he played a key role in securing a point and top spot in Group A.
5. Arda Turan
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Grade: B+
As alluded to earlier, Arda Turan wasn't deployed on the right flank as he has been for much of the current season.
Instead, the Turk started as a secondary forward alongside Mario Mandzukic, before shuffling across to the left as Diego Simeone opted for one up front when the game became an attritional affair.
And although the creative technician wasn't able to work with his usual partner in crime (right-back Juanfran), he was Atletico Madrid's most prominent outlet on the night, consistently using his skills in close quarters to wriggle into space and afford his team some respite at the back.
Perhaps most notable was a crafty sequence that edged the visitors down the left sideline by forcing repeated and ever-advancing throw-ins—a ploy that allowed Atletico to push up and apply some of their own pressure for a short period.
4. Juanfran
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Grade: B+
Juanfran is having a truly excellent season for Atletico Madrid in 2014-15 and on Tuesday demonstrated why he's the complete package at right-back.
After orchestrating waves of attacks down the right sideline in recent matches, the Spaniard took on a totally defensive identity against Juventus, reeling in his game to reinforce his team's back four and shutting out Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba on the left side for the hosts.
In fact, so strong was Juanfran in defence that Pogba drifted across to the opposite flank to attack Guilherme Siqueira, clearly recognising there was no way through the right-back.
Of course, this wasn't the free-wheeling display we've often seen this season, but it was a vitally important one nonetheless.
3. Miguel Angel Moya
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Grade: B+
After Tuesday's scoreless draw, Miguel Angel Moya achieved the rare feat of going through a Champions League group phase without conceding a single goal (he didn't play in the loss to Olympiakos).
Much of the credit, of course, needs to go to Atletico Madrid's outstanding back four, but behind them, the former Getafe goalkeeper has been composed and assured right the way through.
With that evident throughout the clash with Juventus, Moya calmly collected everything that came his way, with only a rasping shot from Paul Pogba seeing the keeper need some assistance from his team-mates to clear.
Jan Oblak won't be getting his chance anytime soon.
2. Diego Godin
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Grade: A
Another game, another towering performance from Diego Godin.
Right now, there isn't a finer central defender on the continent.
During the first-half onslaught from Juventus, the Uruguayan did it all: blocks, headers, interceptions, tackles, close-downs. The lot, really.
Most notable was his block of Carlos Tevez's powerful shot that quelled the hosts' momentum before the break.
And as Atletico Madrid eye another deep run in the European competition, Godin stands as a central figure in that quest.
1. Jose Gimenez
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Grade: A+
In the normal course of events, Jose Gimenez would have been awarded the same grade as Diego Godin, for the pair of Uruguayans were equally outstanding on the night against Juventus.
But rarely do you see such a commanding defensive performance put forward by a 19-year-old making just his second Champions League appearance.
As such, Gimenez is awarded top marks for his display on Tuesday, one that mixed strength, combativeness and positional awareness that an esteemed veteran would have been proud of against the sort of barrage inflicted by Juventus.
Sitting on the sidelines, the outstanding centre-back Miranda might find it difficult to reclaim his place in the team. Gimenez really is that good.
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