Following their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Juventus, Atlético Madrids focus now turns towards finishing as high as possible in the La Liga table. A title triumph remains unlikely with Barcelona eight points ahead. However, Diego Simeones side still have an excellent chance of completing the campaign as runners up.
Girona, the visitors to the Wanda Metropolitana on Tuesday, continue their fight to secure their place in the top flight ahead of next season. Currently 14th, they lie six points above the drop zone. However, with 18th-placed Celta Vigo buoyed by the return of talismanic striker Iago Aspas, Eusebio Sacristáns side are far from safe.
Despite enjoying more possession than their hosts, Girona were ultimately beaten by two goals to nil. This analysis will attempt to discover the reasons behind Atléticos win.
Lineups
Diego Simeone went with his preferred system of 4-4-2 from the start, pairing Chelsea loanee Álvaro Morata with Antoine Griezmann up front. Saúl and Thomas Partey occupied wide roles, with Koke and Rodri in the centre.
Despite the lineups below suggesting otherwise, Atlético began the game with Santiago Arias on the right of a back four, while Filipe Luís occupied the left-back berth. However, Simeone changed their in-possession shape to 3-5-2 for the latter portion of the game, with Saúl at left wing-back and Arias on the right.
Girona lined-up in a 4-1-4-1 shape, with Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia leading the attack in the absence of top scorer Cristhian Stuani. Aleix García and Douglas Luiz, both on loan from Manchester City, were joined by Pere Pons in midfield.
Girona search for openings
Despite being the away side, as well as ranking 12 positions below their hosts in the league table, it was often Girona who took on the role of protagonist in this fixture.
Ever conscious of retaining defensive solidity, Simeone once again deployed a cautious game-plan for much of this encounter. While Girona were regularly faced with different forms of positional pressing during their goal kicks, they managed to bypass the pressure on numerous occasions.
In these moments, At
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