Atlético Madrid 0-0 Espanyol: Player Ratings

Jan Oblak – 8 (Man of the match)

His two crucial stops were the reason Atlético Madrid didn’t lose. Still managing to excel, even if the defence in front of him is probably weaker than it ever has been.

Juanfran – 6

Got into the forward positions a lot, but didn’t really do anything once he got there. Vrsaljko must feel a little frustrated to have been left out the squad completely given his midweek goal and performance. Vrsaljko must play the next match, Juanfran looks average and Cholo needs to mix things up, quick.

Diego Godín – 6

Have to admire his efforts to try and lead the team to victory, but he seems less concentrated in defence than usual. Often guilty of going wandering and leaving big gaps behind him to be exploited.

Josema Giménez – 7

Very enthusiastic and passionate, but still rash and indecisive at times. Cholo should mix it up a little more in defence, Stefan Savic performed well in the Copa del Rey but Lucas deserves a run in the team.

Filipe Luís – 6

Has been injured, and at times it showed as he looked a little off the pace. Still probably our best player on the ball, but lost possession more times than usual and wasn’t linking up as well as he usually does.

Gabi – 6

Can’t fault him given that he is not the man tasked with being our creative force. Came closer than anyone with a volleyed attempt that Diego López saved, and was probably the only player to actually put a few decent balls into the box.

Tiago – 5

Like Gabi, he did his job but perhaps this was the type of game where 4-3-3 would’ve been more effective than 4-4-2. Showed class as always, but he looked really average and as a result was sacrificed in the second half.

Koke – 5

Visibly frustrated with his lack of involvement and the team’s shortcomings in attack. Worked hard, but was unable to impose himself and make the quick incisive passes he usually does. He should have played in the middle of the park in place of Tiago.

Yannick Carrasco – 6

Have to wonder why he’s often the man to get the hook when we’re looking for a goal, as he’s our top scorer and by far our most dangerous attacking player. Saying that, it wasn’t really his night and Espanyol dealt with him well.

Antoine Griezmann – 4

On probably his biggest drop in form since joining Atlético. Hardly linked up with Kévin Gameiro all night, had no space to run in behind and seemed weak on the ball when he got it. Not the sharp, confident Griezmann we’ve gotten used to.

Kevin Gameiro – 5

His pace is useful and he does a good job holding up the ball and running the channels, but when we need a man inside the box to feed balls into, he’s not the one. Too similar to Griezmann, both were made more or less redundant tonight. Here, Fernando Torres would have proved useful but he is injured and has been poor for a while.

Subs

Nico Gaitán – 6

Feel for Gaitán at the moment. Doesn’t play much, and when he does it’s often in difficult situations where we need a goal. Did create the best chance of the match for Griezmann, but still clearly hasn’t found his feet at Atleti yet.

Ángel Correa – 6

Provided something different and had a couple of bright moments to almost unlock the Espanyol defence, but needs to work on his end product and decision making. He seems to avoid making simple passes and chooses to cluelessly run into packed defence. Should have started this match, Cholo seems to favour "Cholismo" a little too much now.

Saúl Ñíguez – N/A

Came on too late, looked nice and slick in possession though.