Filipe Luis and Juanfran Embody How Atletico Madrid Could Win Champions League

Atletico Madrid overturned a first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, scoring twice through Antoine Griezmann to win 2-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

With the holders out—the only team above Atleti in La Liga—and Paris Saint-Germain also having fallen by the wayside, Los Rojiblancos will be feeling extremely good about their chances of going one better than they did in 2014 and actually win the Champions League this term, even if there are still three very good sides left to be drawn against.

While Griezmann may get plaudits for the goals and Gabi or Koke for their work rate and quality overall, two less heralded players deserve appreciation for their recent performances: Juanfran and Filipe Luis, the Atletico full-backs, who exemplify the all-round approach of the team and helped shut out the most dangerous attack on the planet.

It's a perfect example of just why Atletico Madrid are capable of winning the Champions League this season.

Top Form

Atletico's full-backs have been two of several players hitting top form at a crucial time in the season, with Fernando Torres, Koke and Gabi being a handful of the others who have underperformed earlier in the campaign but are now right at peak level.

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Filipe Luis has been superb over the past six weeks or so, a critical part of the side's return to form with both his technique and his physical prowess.

A summer signing brought back from Chelsea after a year away from the Vicente Calderon, Filipe took some time to find his groove once back in the red and white stripes, but he has gradually worked his way back to his best. It was no surprise or coincidence that Guilherme Siqueira was allowed to leave on loan in January.

Juanfran, meanwhile, is a model of consistency, with both Atletico and the Spanish national team, where he's the first-choice right-back ahead of Dani Carvajal of Real Madrid and Mario Gaspar of Villarreal.

Both Halves

At some clubs, the full-backs are an extension of the attack. Wednesday's vanquished opponents Barcelona, for example, almost use Dani Alves and Jordi Alba as outright wide forwards, with racing back at speed almost their only defensive responsibility to fulfil in many matches, such is their side's domination and expectation.

Atletico, with a different style and different demands from manager Diego Simeone, expect far more from those on the sides of the defence.

The full-backs mix strong defensive work with an ability to support the final-third buildup play, but more than that, they must also be capable of surging beyond the attacking line at times to provide surprise cut-back opportunities and the odd searching cross.

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It's not enough to be very good at only one part of the game or the other; Simeone demands well-rounded midfielders who can both defend and attack, and the same is true of his full-backs. Juanfran and Filipe Luis embody this team-wide approach perfectly, and their performance against Barcelona was typical of their abilities.

Juanfran twice surged down the right to relieve pressure in the second half, while it was Filipe's excellent run that led to the late penalty. Defensively, the clean sheet speaks its own praise of their work, but the fact neither Neymar nor Lionel Messi—both cutting in with regularity from the full-back areas—had much of a sniff in the game highlights how well the Atleti duo performed their role.

Structure and Organisation

Few teams in the European game are as well-organised as Atletico. It's not merely a defensive wall that puts bodies on the line, but a tactically cohesive unit where everybody understands their role perfectly and is capable for filling in for everyone else.

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Barcelona have netted 87 goals in league play and scored 20 in their eight European games before the Atletico tie, but they only found a route past Los Colchoneros once they went down to 10 men in the first leg—and not at all in the decisive second.

Winning the Champions League, or any other major title, requires structure and a well-executed plan at both ends of the pitch. Barca have had that ability better than anybody else over the last 20 months and have taken a shedload of silverware accordingly, but they have run out of steam somewhat in the past month. Their European exit leaves the door open for one of four to take the game's biggest club prize this year.

Atletico, with their efficiency in attack and restrictive work in defence, are as well placed as Bayern Munich and better off than Real Madrid or Manchester City to now go on and win the final itself.

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