4 Areas for Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to Improve on in 2015/16
Atletico Madrid's summer transfer activity means there is a lot of talk and excitement over some of the new faces at the club this season, but it's certainly worth noting the majority of any success Atleti enjoy this campaign will still be largely down to those who were already in place.
While Diego Godin, Koke and Gabi will be a big part of that, so too will Antoine Griezmann, the former Real Sociedad winger turned Atletico forward who excelled last term and has started this campaign in fine form too.
The 24-year-old is still growing as a player and will doubtless improve again this season, so we've picked out four areas where he can look to specifically have a bigger impact in his game over the coming months. These aren't necessarily areas in which he doesn't already do well—Griezmann has become a relatively complete player—but parts of his game that need refinement, consistency or can help have a bigger say in the team's success.
And no, as tempting as it was, we're not opting to include "improvements in hairstyle choice" as one of the areas.
Link Play Outside the Box
1 of 4
As a former wide midfielder, nobody will be surprised to learn Griezmann enjoys being involved in Atleti's construction play just as much as getting into the box and finishing moves off. He runs the channels, drops deep to receive possession and more than once has been called upon to reprise his former role of a fleet-footed wide option—though that will likely be seen less this term.
Even so, as one of two forwards, he can still improve further in this regard; being such a technically gifted player with good vision and a speedy decision-making process, Griezmann can affect play a lot more this season because he should have more movement around and ahead of him.
Oliver Torres cuts infield off the right, Jackson Martinez makes intelligent runs ahead and Gabi looks to be marauding around with all his old menace and intent. That all means Griezmann has more options to link with, bounce the ball off and receive play back from when facing goal.
Atletico have so many good offensive players they can change their game plan at will, but Griezmann should be central to them all in a variety of roles.
Show Consistency in Elite Goalscoring
2 of 4
Seven, seven, 10, 16 and 22.
Griezmann has never exactly been shy about finding the back of the net, as those Liga tallies over the last five seasons show, but even so, last year was a step up after he moved from the wing to centre-forward.
Add in cup goals, and Griezmann tallied 25 last term for the first time in his career—and now wants even more. Iniside Spanish Football highlighted an interview between player and Onda Cero in which the French attacker stated he wants to beat that tally and help the team improve.
"The Calderon is like my back garden. I’m with my mates, they support me and we always go out and give our all. I don’t know the number but I want to score more than 25 goals this season, which was my total last season. I’m working hard to reach Messi and Cristiano’s level.
When I arrived at Real Sociedad, I asked for the advice and the criticisms of the scout who brought me there. I took in everything without letting it get to me head because what I wanted, was to improve.
"
Whether he can reach the 40-goal-plus hauls of that particular duo is questionable—they're basically the only two on the planet who do so, but Griezmann can certainly continue to improve his strike rate and consistency in finding the back of the net.
If he beats 25 this term, with added competition for places, that will be an excellent return indeed.
International Importance
3 of 4
It would be unfair to criticise Griezmann too harshly for anything relating to international matter whatsoever—he only made his senior debut little more than a year ago, just prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. As such, he’s still learning about his place and his performance requirements at that level to an extent, with a different coach, team-mates and expectations of game play.
That said, the level of talent the forward possesses is such that he should be looking at the current France squad and its attacking options and believing he has what it takes to be a regular first choice, be it from the side of attack in a 4-3-3 or through the middle, on his own or as part of a two.
Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Lacazette and—once fit again—Nabil Fekir are all talented players, but none are so outrageously elite as to be clear of Griezmann in terms of quality, goal output or potential ceiling. With Euro 2016 taking place on home soil, the Atleti forward should be looking at this season to ensure he’s first choice for club and country and go on to have a telling impact at his second major tournament.
Full Season of Productivity and Quality as a Forward
4 of 4
Griezmann’s excellent 2014-15 goal haul has already been mentioned, along with the fact he needs to replicate it, but last term’s tally is all the more remarkable by the fact he achieved it, in large part at least, in half a season. A hat-trick at San Mames last winter was clearly the turning point for Griezmann in his evolution as a forward, as he exploded thereafter.
The challenge, then, is to not only replicate the numbers but improve upon that consistency over a longer period—in other words, a whole season. Many good players have three-, four- or five-month runs in which they look untouchable, but a whole season? Eight or nine months out of 10 when they make a difference game after game against every variation of opposition? Far fewer.
Griezmann should be capable of that, especially in a team as impressive and single-minded as Atleti, but he still needs to go and actually do it. A goal on the opening day and two assists in the second fixture is a great start.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
