Ranking Atletico Madrid's Top 5 Players for October
Two points lost against Deportivo de La Coruna stopped October from being an excellent month for Atletico Madrid.
The title contenders started by salvaging a draw against their bitterest rivals, Real Madrid, and went on to win the rest of their matches, including tricky clashes away against Real Sociedad and at home against Valencia, until they traveled to Galicia.
This slideshow runs down the top five players for the team this month, and here are the game-by-game results:
Atletico 1-1 Real Madrid
Real Sociedad 0-2 Atletico
Atletico 4-0 Astana
Atletico 2-1 Valencia
Deportivo 1-1 Atletico
5. Jackson Martinez
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Atletico Madrid's game is dependent on teamwork. That often means there aren't necessarily consistent stand-out players.
Jackson Martinez's month has been mixed, just like his club's, and his performance against Deportivo was disappointing.
However, in the games before that, he finally started looking like he was finding his feet in the Spanish capital
The striker went through an eight-game goal drought, which he ended against against Astana in the Champions League.
He followed that up by striking again against Valencia, providing the crucial second goal in Atletico's 2-1 win.
Jackson still has a long way to go to be a good signing, but he has started to show why the club saw fit to splash cash on him this summer.
4. Diego Godin
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Atletico Madrid's two centre-backs, Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez were both impressive over the past month.
It was tough to decide which of them was better, until the younger Uruguayan made a key error against Deportivo.
Gimenez gave the ball away on the edge of his box, and Lucas Perez capitalised, scoring the equaliser to earn his team a point at the Estadio Riazor.
That's not to say Godin was squeaky clean in October. He conceded a penalty, allowing Valencia to score and get a foothold in the game at the Vicente Calderon.
However, that was a debatable decision by the referee, and for the most part, Godin has been the solid, commanding presence we have come to expect.
He was particularly impressive in Atletico's away win at Real Sociedad, appearing calm and effective under pressure.
3. Tiago
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Tiago, at 34 years old, has gotten a second wind.
The Atletico star was crucial the season his team won the league, but he faded in last year's campaign.
However, he's somehow managed to regain his position as an key influence in the midfield.
In an important game, you can bet Diego Simeone will call on the Portuguese veteran to be one of his key forces in the centre of the pitch.
He was particularly impressive against Valencia, playing the whole match, and against Deportivo, he scored an excellent goal, lashing home from the edge of the box.
2. Juanfran
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Juanfran is another Atletico Madrid player who is enjoying a run of fine form.
The 30-year-old right-back hasn't done anything notably special this month, but his performances from the Madrid derby to the draw with Deportivo have been solid, with few players getting past him on the right.
Like Tiago, Juanfran was key in the title-winning season, so Simeone will be pleased that the defender is coming into form as the season progresses.
If you had to pick one game he excelled in, it would be the 4-0 win over Astana.
Obviously that could go for a lot of the players, as they triumphed by such a margin, but he was arguably the man of the match.
1. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco
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One player has shone brighter than any other for Atletico Madrid in the past month, and it's Yannick Ferreira Carrasco.
The Belgian winger has been wonderful, becoming increasingly important in this Atletico side after joining them this summer from Monaco.
Carrasco was a useful half-time substitute in the Madrid derby, coming on to help Atletico fight back from a goal down and unbalance Madrid. It was his cross that Antoine Griezmann flicked on for Luciano Vietto when he equalised late in the game against the team's biggest rivals.
Since then, he has gone from strength to strength.
He scored against Real Sociedad, coolly finishing after being put through. He was brilliant against Astana, creating a goal for Saul Niguez. That was followed up by a brilliant individual goal against Valencia, that saw him power forward and drill home from the edge of the box.
He was good against Deportivo too, setting up Tiago for his goal before being taken off.
It was a perfect month.
