Champions League Power Rankings: PSG shine in matchweek 1
By James Dudko
13. Atletico Madrid
While Roma would see it as two points dropped, Atleti will simply view another goalless stalemate away from home as proof of their ability to successfully navigate the Champions League.
No team in the competition is more adept at playing spoiler. Atletico’s penchant for stifling the opposition is built on a savvy, stingy defence led by centre-back Diego Godin.
Full-backs Juanfran and Felipe Luis won’t be outsmarted by anybody. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak is also a key figure between the posts.
Yet midfield is where the consistency comes from for Los Rojiblancos. Skipper Gabi is a true leader, while Sual Niguez continues to get better and better.
The burning question is does this Atletico team have enough firepower to finally win this tournament? More to the point, is there enough support for star forward Antoine Griezmann?
It didn’t look like it against Roma, as Luciano Vietto struggled to get involved.
Getting the balance right between defence and attack remains elusive for manager Diego Simeone.