Simeone: Gameiro helps Griezmann flourish

Antoine Griezmann is flourishing once again thanks largely to his partnership with Kevin Gameiro, according to Diego Simeone.

The Atletico Madrid boss has seen star forward Griezmann rediscover his shooting boots over his last two appearances, having previously gone more than two months without scoring for his club.

His dry spell, which covered all competitions, ended on November 21 when he found the net in a 2-0 Champions League win over Roma.

The France international followed that up with a double in a 5-0 thrashing of Levante last week, with Gameiro – whose start to the season was delayed by a groin injury – scoring a brace in that match, having also netted versus Roma.

Simeone plans to keep searching for the best solutions to get the best out of Griezmann, but acknowledged he looks more comfortable alongside Gameiro.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's LaLiga contest with Real Sociedad, he said: "He is much better, much more immersed in the type of football which he has been accustomed to with us.

STATS
Antoine Griezmann has participated in 50% of our team’s goals in the last two editions of the @ChampionsLeague #UCL #AtletiChelsea pic.twitter.com/Yx3EtzzOvF

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) September 27, 2017

"He needs a reference. He did well with [Fernando] Torres, and with Gameiro. We hope to be able to look for the best combination of forwards so he can feel more comfortable.

"The numbers speak for themselves. Gameiro's partnership with Griezmann has been marked by the numbers over two years. Surely Griezmann feels more comfortable with Gameiro, I do not say this, the numbers say it and they do not lie."

Atletico have won four of their past five in all competitions, with the other fixture a hard-earned goalless draw with rivals Real Madrid, and Simeone believes having Gameiro available has made the difference.

"Since the beginning of the season, the work has been good but the presence of Gameiro in the last matches gives us speed and precision in attack," he added.

"It coincides with the best moment of the best player of ours, who is Griezmann. With them on the pitch, the team has the possibility of improving. The defensive work was always good."