In many ways, the team which Atletico Madrid will send out for tonight’s Champions League final clash against Real Madrid is very similar to the Rojiblancos team which contested the final between the same teams two years ago.
Several key players remain, including central defender Diego Godin, full-backs Juanfran and Filipe Luis, captain Gabi and midfield creator Koke.
And most of the ‘new’ players fill largely the same roles as their predecessors, with Jan Oblak taking the goalkeeping gloves previously owned by Thibaut Courtois, Augusto Fernandez doing the same job in midfield as Mario Suarez and Fernando Torres following David Villa as an iconic veteran centre forward.
Just as important as the identity of the individual performers, manager Diego Simeone has ensured the team’s philosophy has remained the same.
Some of the faces are new, but this, at face value, is the same Atletico: hard-working, rigorously organised, defensively disciplined and physically intense.
There is, however, one exception – an ‘X Factor’ which was lacking from the previous vintage and provides reason to believe Saturday night’s outcome will be very different: Antoine Griezmann.
The France forward has enjoyed a brilliant season, scoring 32 goals in all competitions to further establish a soaring reputation.
Griezmann’s goalscoring has been impressive enough, especially as he has delivered on big occasions: he scored the only goal in Atletico’s derby victory over Real at the Bernabeu in February, and also netted in the Champions League quarter and semi-final victories over Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Those strikes show he can score in a variety of ways: a header and a penalty against Barca; a cool one-on-one finish past Bayern’s Manuel Neuer; running onto a low cross to finish first-time at the Bernabeu.
And therein lies Griezmann’s greatest attribute: his versatility, which makes him arguably the most complete forward in the game today.
Although primarily left-footed, he can also finish well with his right. He is quick, good in the air, deceptively strong, possesses a good first touch and the ability to link play.
Those attributes were always obvious during his time at Real Sociedad, when he regularly produced moments of brilliance including an outrageous volley against Real Valladolid in 2013 and an even more stunning overhead effort in the Champions League against Lyon.
But he has improved inordinately since moving to Atletico for €30 million (Dh122.5m) two summers ago thanks to Simeone, who has compelled him to play his part in defence – unlike Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, Griezmann can be relied upon to carry his team’s chief attacking threat whilst still fully contributing at the other end.
Simeone has also exploited Griezmann’s technical versatility by fielding him in different positions, lining him up on either flank or through the middle. And Griezmann’s ability to fill several roles helps to explain why the widely accepted belief that ‘Atletico always play in the same way’ is actually not true.
For starters, they vary between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations, often employing both in the same game as they did, for example, in the semi-final second leg against Bayern.
Atletico are also capable of utilising different tactics. Often they will sit deep in defence and look to attack largely on the break, but contrary to popular belief that is not their only playing system.
In the opening 10 minutes of the first leg against Bayern, for example, they were on the front foot and dominated the visitors, creating a number of chances before deservedly going ahead through Saul.
January’s La Liga trip to Barcelona was similar, with the hosts barely able to get out of their own half in the opening 20 minutes as Atletico pressed high and swarmed all over them.
On both occasions, Griezmann’s energy, workrate and quality on the ball were crucial to the team’s plans, and it is his presence which makes Atletico’s 2016 team better than their 2014 version.
Whether he can also make them European champions will soon be revealed.
