Antoine Griezmann Can Provide Goals Atletico Madrid Need to Defend La Liga Title

Antoine Griezmann hit a second-half hat-trick to help Atletico Madrid come back from a goal down to beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 away from home on Sunday night, leading his manager Diego Simeone to label him "fabulous."

Per AS (in Spanish), Simeone spoke about Griezmann's improved display and how the forward helped Atleti to victory: "In the second half he was fabulous. That's the player we need and the player we went searching for [in summer from Real Sociedad]; we hope it will be a big point for his confidence and that he continues like this."

The French attacker has struggled a little in his early days at Atletico to replicate the success he had as a starter at Anoeta, but his display against Athletic shows exactly why he can be a massive hit with his new club and can indeed fire them close toward retaining their La Liga title.

Smashing San Mames

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As Simeone noted in his post-match interview, Atletico were poor in the first half against Athletic. They were second-best to most balls, disorganised at the back and could have been more than a goal down if not for Jose Gimenez being alert more than once. There wasn't really anybody combining with Griezmann in attack, and he was isolated, with only Raul Garcia attempting to get close.

After the break, Atletico came forward more and Griezmann ran riot.

He ran in behind the defence, came short to exploit gaps between defence and midfield lines, broke wide to offer an out-ball and, most importantly, showed great use of space and a clinical edge to his game.

It took Griezmann just 45 seconds to equalise after the restart, finding a yard in the box to powerfully head home from a right-wing cross. It showed good technique for a type of goal that the attacker isn't usually noted for, and it sparked Atleti's massive improvement.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

The second was all about awareness and timing; he again found space, latched onto a through pass and kept his composure to beat Gorka Iraizoz. Even when through on goal for a hat-trick and opting not to shoot, Griezmann found instant karma: a square ball gave a team-mate the chance to finish things off when most strikers would have shot themselves, only for the ball to bounce back his way and give him an easy finish.

Griezmann was clearly offside for that treble-clinching goal, but it was missed and he went home with the match ball signed by his team-mates.

"

Gran victoria del equipo ! Aqui esta el baloncito firmado por los compañeros, gracias a ellos 👏 #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/AtgqKfDS2h

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann) December 22, 2014"

Link and Finish

The aspects of Griezmann's play that Simeone wanted to add to the side are clear: his pace suits their usual counter-attacking style, but with Atletico also trying to play further up the field this year, Griezmann's ability to operate in tight spaces, add a goalscoring threat and play in different positions are also all invaluable.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

After Atleti led at San Mames, he reverted to left wing in a brief 4-5-1, with Garcia the lone forward. Afterward, he came central again, dropping off to receive second balls and looking to break centrally when spaces opened up. And, for most of the game, he was the No. 9.

Atletico don't lack for strikers with Mario Mandzukic, Raul Jimenez and, soon, Angel Correa all available, but none have the acceleration and trickery that Griezmann has in his locker. When joining the club, he spoke about Simeone being the manager he needed to improve his game, with "intensity" at the club cited as a factor, per France Football (h/t Inside Spanish Football).

Not long ago, Simeone spoke about needing Griezmann's goalscoring ability; he certainly got that at San Mames, now Griezmann has to deliver consistently after the winter break.

"

3 - Antoine Griezmann is the first French player to score a hat-trick in La Liga since Thierry Henry against Valencia in 2008. Rooster.

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 21, 2014"

Titles

Barcelona might be second, but they aren't convincing many people at present after a tremendous start to the season. If things don't improve quickly, the title race in La Liga this season might be a two-way battle in Madrid. Of course, the favourites are going to be Real and rightly so; their 22-match winning streak and being crowned the top team on the planet makes them the standout team anywhere, not just in La Liga.

But, the season is long, and Atleti have already proved both their quality and their resilience many times over.

Gabriel Pecot/Associated Press

Talented and presently unstoppable that Real might be, objectives can change as the season goes on. Sooner or later, they will face defeat in the league again, and Atletico have to be ready to take advantage when they do.

The gap is only four points at present, and things could change quickly in 2015. If Griezmann proves consistent with his scoring and creating, Atletico have an attack that rivals many in European football. They could yet be lifting even more silverware under Simeone come May.

Follow @karlmatchett