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Atletico Madrid's Efficiency Proving Decisive in Race for Champions League Spots

Published by Bleacher Report on Sun, 19 Apr 2015


Deja vu. Groundhog day. An insanely familiar script.However you want to label it, it's impossible to shake the feeling we're continually watching the same 90 minutes from Atletico Madrid at presenthot start, goal, goal, cruise to the finish line.We saw it against Getafe. We saw it against Cordoba and against Real Sociedad. And most recently, against Deportivo La Coruna.Hot start, goal, goal, cruise.On Saturday at theRiazor, it was Antoine Griezmann's twin first-half strikes that did the trickto help secure a 2-1 victorythe first a stunning bicycle kick, the second a smart finish following Jesus Gamez's long throw.For the Frenchman, the brace continued his hot run, extending his recent record to six goals in five games. For his team, it reinforced a developing trend of efficiency that's proving decisive in the hunt for Champions League places in La Liga.All season, Simeone has stressedthat his team is competing with Valencia and Sevilla for third spot, not with Real Madrid and Barcelona for the title. While doing so, he's insisted, in an interview for Canal+ (h/tMarca),that Atleti "know that we've got worse players than other teams on paper,"and he has flatly refused to look further ahead than the very next battle."What's most important is being third," he said once more in the buildup to Saturday's clash in Galicia, per Marca.In that sense, Saturday was another day that went to script for Simeone and Atleti. After Valencia's loss at Barcelona, Los Colchoneros' triumph at the Riazor took them four points clear of Los Che in third.Breathing room.Most notable, though, has been the way the defending champions have established their current buffer.Whereas we've come to associate this incarnation of Atletico with grinding, scrapping and fighting performances, there's been an impressive economy to Atleti's recent displays. Early blows have setup the most routine victories. Little more than second gear has been needed.It's been an important step for Atletico. In last season's title-clinching run-in, their games became increasingly gruelling, their own physical methods grinding away at the team's collective vitality.After emphatic early season performances, the back end of the 2013-14 campaign saw a succession of exhausting arm wrestles. Had the season been any longer, you suspect they wouldn't have held on.But now, in a different race but one that's equally important for the club's growth, Atleti have reversed that pattern. Battles have become breezy wins. Slug fests have become comfortable waltzes.Against Getafe, first-half strikes from Tiago and Fernando Torres allowed Simeone's players to coast.When they travelled to Cordoba, quick goals from Griezmann and Saul Niguez did the same. Ditto for the rapid-fire goals against Real Sociedad and for Griezmann's swift blows in La Coruna.In four of their last five league games,Los Colchoneros have been two-nil up inside the opening half. And on each occasion, that's been enough90 minutes of maximal exertion haven't been necessary.Valencia, meanwhile, have seen their season become more of a grind. Even in three straight victories in February over Espanyol, Getafe and Cordoba, Nuno Espirito Santo's men were forced to work and work hard.More recently, the draw with Villarreal was aggressive and messy, while the stalemate against Athletic Bilbao was frustrating.Unlike Atleti, many of Valencia's recent outings have been a struggle, costing the once-surging outfit momentum. And suddenly, Los Che are looking back at Sevilla rather than ahead to Simeone's men in the capital.What's more, Atletico's economical displays, saving both physical and emotional energy, are beneficial for their Champions League pushboth in the current season and for next.Follow @TimDCollinsRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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