Atlético Madrid 1-1 Qarabag: Player Ratings

Jan Oblak (6): Oblak wasn’t that bad, but Qarabag’s only real chance was a goal. It was a rough one to concede thanks to some poor defending, and other than that he did not have a whole lot to do. He did some sweeper-keepering late on.

Juanfran (7): Juanfran has actually not been bad in recent matches, and he was not bad in this one either; a solid performance from the veteran. He will tail off a bit physically toward the end of matches, but he was enthusiastic and mildly dangerous.

Stefan Savić (4): Guess what? Playing Godín and Savic together doesn’t work!!! Their lack of pace creates problems that have to be solved physically, and playing that way will result in red cards — which Savić got! Bad day.

Diego Godín (6.5): The above also applies to Godín. Clearly, we are beginning to see father time take his toll on Godín, and though he is still a great defender, he’s 31 now and he needs a partner with pace — otherwise, he won’t be near his highest level.

Filipe Luis (7.5): Filipe has been fantastically this year, as consistent as you’d like. His all-around displays are exactly what Atlético Madrid need, given how other key squad members are aging this season. You know what you’re going to get with Filipe, which you can’t say about too many Atlético players at the moment.

Ángel Correa (6.5): Not Correa’s best performance. He recorded four shots (three on target), but he was dispossessed far too many times. Playing on the wing does not seem beneficial to Correa’s development at this point.

Thomas (8 – MMOTM): The main fault in Thomas’ game today had nothing to do with him: he was substituted far too early, just after he equalized for Atlético. He scored a lovely curler from 25 yards and should have kept on as he emerges from a rough patch of form.

Gabi (7): Better from the captain today, looking more comfortable as the midfield pendulum and relentlessly driving his team forward in the final half hour. It does seem that with regard to defensive actions Gabi has tailed off a bit, though; he won no tackles, aerial duels or interceptions against Qarabag. Seriously.

Saúl IsNotAWinger Ñíguez (6.5): One thing that is certain about Saúl is that he will put in a shift in regardless of where he plays on the pitch or for how long. However, when he is not deployed in the middle, which allows him to make the most of his immense talent, it helps nobody except maybe the opposition. The team plays worse with Saúl out wide, and so does he. At this point, he should not have to earn his place in central midfield. Come on now.

Kévin Gameiro (5.5): Lots of missed chances in this game that he most certainly should have taken. These are things that were said a lot last season, in addition to the idea that if Atlético had not been under a registration ban, Gameiro would have been sold. The Frenchman has not looked up to snuff so far, and the revolving door of Atleti strikers turns once more.

Antoine Griezmann (7): This was the match where Griezmann needed to let fly with as many shots as possible. He had three go off target of his five total and he was far from dominant in this game, though he laid on the pass for Thomas’ goal.

Subs

Nico Gaitán (7): Only really gets this rating because he took one in the face to give Atlético a chance of winning this game against 10 men. Other than that, Gaitán wasn’t bad, but probably should have come on for Correa instead.

Fernando Torres (5.5): Two shots and 50 percent pass success in a 20-minute cameo for El Ñino. We love him, but Champions League (yes, even Qarabag) is no longer a level Torres can get to. I’m sure Fuenlabrada would love to have him!