Atletico Madrid's Need for Attacking Depth Clear in Final-Day Draw vs. Granada

Atletico Madrid achieved their pre-season target of a top-three finish with a 0-0 draw away to Granada on Saturday.

Goals flew in across Spain on La Liga’s final day, but there were none to be seen at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes in a tentative and uneventful encounter.

Neither side showed much attacking ambition during a low-tempo first half that was criminally short on goalmouth action. A draw was enough for Atletico to beat Valencia to third, while Granada came into the match knowing that a point would also likely be sufficient for them to avoid the drop.

Atletico’s brightest moment of the half came when Saul moved the ball infield to Koke, who in turn played Antoine Griezmann in behind for a mishit effort well wide from inside the area. Otherwise, neither side threatened.

It was a similar story after the break as the two sides played out a goalless draw that eventually allowed both of them to achieve what they set out to. That was all that mattered to Simeone, as he admitted afterwards.

"

. @Simeone: "We are celebrating the direct qualification for the Champions with great joy" #GoAtleti

— Atleti English (@atletienglish) May 23, 2015"

Atletico’s decision to play for the draw was a tactical choice but one that was undoubtedly conditioned by the options available to Simeone on Saturday. With Arda Turan, Fernando Torres and Mario Mandzukic all out injured, Raul Jimenez was the only outright attacker on the bench.

And on the pitch, Antoine Griezmann was the lone striker, with Koke in closest attendance and Raul Garcia and Saul Niguez out wide. Griezmann aside, Atletico lacked a quick runner or a tricky dribbler to move them forward. They were also without a strong focal point around whom to base their attacks.

This is one area in which Atletico will have to improve next season if they are to have any chance of repeating their unbelievable title-winning campaign of the 2013-14 season.

Their defence was almost as solid this time around, conceding just three more goals over the season’s 38 matches, but it was in attack that they faltered. Simeone’s men scored a full 10 goals less (67 vs. 77) than they did during their title-winning campaign.

Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic were the club’s two big-ticket attacking signings of last summer. The former delivered above expectations, with 22 league goals, while the latter also made a solid contribution, with 12 goals and five assists.

The pair did, however, come six goals short of matching the 40-goal haul of Diego Costa (27) and David Villa (13).

And, as per WhoScored.com, no one else in the squad managed more than five league goals over the course of the campaign. Back-up forwards Jimenez and Torres scored just four between them, at rates (one per 568 minutes for Jimenez and one per 295 for Torres) that were significantly less impressive than those of the regular front two.

The exciting Argentinian forward Angel Correa will surely form part of Atletico’s first-team squad next season. He was the standout attacking player of the South American Under-20 Championships earlier this year and would provide the side with additional pace and directness in the final third.

L’Equipe (h/t Marca) reported in March that Simeone had requested the arrival of Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani as one of his conditions for a signing a new contract at the Vicente Calderon. The Uruguayan has had a mixed season in France but is a hard-working and previously prolific striker who could be expected to do well at Atletico.

Radamel Falcao Garcia has also been linked with a return to the club with whom he won the Europa League and Copa del Rey in a two-year spell between 2011 and 2013.

Simeone admitted that he still has a “huge amount,” of affection for the Colombian in his press conference prior to Saturday’s match, as per Juan Casanez of AS. But he refused to be drawn on whether the 29-year-old was a summer target for the club.

Forwards will, however, undoubtedly be on Atletico's shopping list ahead of next season.

They have done well to weather last summer’s departures of Costa, Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois and still finish in third place. But if they want to again challenge the big two next season, attack is the area on which they should focus their investment this summer.