Ranking Atletico Madrid's Top 5 Players for November 2015
Atletico Madrid have been in spectacularly consistent form of late: They have been playing well throughout matches, getting themselves in front and defending solidly, without ever really going on to kill teams off.
Indeed, their five matches during November have resulted in four wins and a draw—with not a single goal conceded during that time. Only Astana in the Champions League prevented Atleti having a perfect month, while December has also started in positive fashion with a 2-1 win in the Copa del Rey against Reus Deportiu.
In assessing Atletico's November matches, the top five players of the month have been selected from the squad based on their individual displays as well as what they contributed to the team form overall.
To be considered, players have to either have featured for a minimum of 200 minutes of game time or in at least three separate games out of the five—so injuries curtailing good form can be accounted for, just as continual impact substitute appearances can be assessed.
Here are Atleti's top five players from November, after the following games:
Champions League, away, 0-0 D vs. Astana
Liga, home, 1-0 W vs. Sporting Gijon
Liga, away, 1-0 W vs. Real Betis
Champions League, home, 2-0 W vs. Galatasaray
Liga, home, 1-0 W vs. Espanyol
5. Gabi
1 of 5
Central midfielder and first-team captain Gabi has not been an absolute stand-out for the season as a whole, especially after some uncertain performances early on, but he has had a reasonably solid and consistent month and aided the team's overall improvement.
His passing and consistency in possession has improved, while he has also performed tenaciously in his defensive duties as the team has had more attacking impetus and possession in general in their matches.
In a month where the midfield in particular has seen changes to the lineup, Gabi has been a constant and will be even more important now with Tiago out injured.
4. Jan Oblak
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A note of praise has to go to goalkeeper Jan Oblak, whose consistency and no-frills approach to his job make him such a hard man to beat, even when opponents do eventually break through a defence which is notoriously tough.
The Slovenian stopper did not concede a single goal during November—five clean sheets from five games—meaning he has only been beaten once in open play (i.e. not a penalty) since the derby against Real Madrid in early October.
Though not called upon extensively in every match, Oblak's concentration and agility were still required at certain times, including making a top, late save against Real Betis and some important interventions against Espanyol.
3. Yannick Carrasco
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Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco made his big breakthrough at Atletico in October, but that scintillating form of the previous month was still seen in spells in November.
Playing on either side of the midfield quartet, Carrasco's pace and dribbling ability make him a fantastic outlet for the team on the counter and a real line-breaker during build-up play in the final third, especially with his penchant for suddenly upping the tempo, swapping passes and breaking into the box.
With a little more end product, he'll be undroppable from Diego Simeone's team, and the fans already love him for his skill on the ball and work rate off it.
2. Antoine Griezmann
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After a fairly erratic spell in front of goal, Antoine Griezmann rediscovered his scoring touch for Atleti in November, netting four of their five goals.
A quirk of his strike rate has seen all those efforts come at the Vicente Calderon: one against Sporting, two in Europe against Galatasaray and a very early winner against Espanyol.
Atleti's low scoring rate inevitably means Griezmann's goals are worth a considerable tally in points won, so it is with some relief to Simeone that the French forward has begun hitting the back of the net with more frequency again.
Playing both from the centre and wide in a 4-3-3 at times, Griezmann's importance to the team continues to be underlined.
1. Diego Godin
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Top of the pile for Atleti in November was the bedrock on which their foundations are built, centre-back Diego Godin.
The Uruguayan powerhouse was in stupendous form, playing alongside both Josema Gimenez and Stefan Savic at different times but always keeping his own imperious performances at the very highest level.
A return to his aggressive and dominant self has been pleasing to see, while he has also had an impact at the other end, setting up a late winner against Sporting and striking the woodwork more than once when attacking set pieces.
Gabi wears the skipper's armband but Godin's influence on the team is clear to see—from his sudden marauding runs forward to his abrasive tackling and complete belief that the team will win each challenge, duel and fixture.
A great month for Godin and for Atletico overall.
