This article was first posted on footballromance.com (a predecessor to this website) in October 2016.
After back-to-back draws against newly-promoted duo Alavés and Leganés, the word ‘relegation’ somewhat incredibly found its way into Antoine Griezmann’s post-match interview at Butarque. Fast forward a month and a half, however, and things look considerably rosier for Diego Simeone’s side after six wins and a draw in their last seven games in all competitions, a run which has enabled them to leap ahead of rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona to the top of La Liga Santander.
Los Rojiblancos have long been praised for their defensive strength and resilience, the fact that they have conceded just twice in nine competitive fixtures this season coming as a surprise to no one. But Simeone has also moved to develop his team’s style of play somewhat, with Los Rojiblancos arguably now at their most expansive – and pleasing to watch – since El Cholo arrived at the helm in late 2011.
With only seven league matches having been completed, these are very early days, but a number of statistics help to illustrate Atleti’s gradual early-season evolution:
- 2 goals scored per game (only in the 2013-14 season (2.03) have they averaged more under Simeone)
- 16.7 shots per match (2nd in La Liga, just ahead of Bareclona), 12.5 in 2015-16
- 53.1% possession (6th), 48.7% in 2015-16
- 497.4 total passes per game (4th), 450.7 in 2015-16
- 450 short passes per game (4th), 394 in 2015-16
- 12.4 key passes – the final pass leading to a shot at goal from a teammate – per game (2nd), 9.7 in 2015-16
On top of all that, fewer fouls, a reduction in the number of long balls played and a greater percentage of time spent in the opposition third.
Yet Los Colchoneros are as miserly as ever, with only Feyenoord and Panathinaikos – who have played only four games – currently possessing better defensive records in Europe. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak, like last season, has been forced into making just 2.1 stops per league match, while, opponents, again like last season, have averaged 9.7 attempts on the Slovenian’s goal.
Little, therefore, has changed at the back, but what tactical alterations has Simeone implemented in order to improve his side’s attacking threat?
Koke adds creativity in central midfield, Felipe Luis link-up
The Argentinian has started with his favoured 4-4-2 system in five of the first seven league outings and both Champions League ties, but only in the aforementioned games against Alavés (4-2-3-1) and Leganés has he opted for two ‘defensively-minded’ players in central midfield, which has often been a trait of Simeone’s Atlético teams.
Instead, we have seen Koke and Saúl Ñiguez feature in the middle of the park on a more regular basis, with the former in particular helping to provide a greater link between midfield and attack. With the exception of the draw away to Barcelona, Koke has been in the top three players in terms of number of touches in each fixture, with his increasing influence peaking in the last match away to Valencia, in which he made 114 passes, by far and away the highest number of any member of either team.
A close second on that list is the excellent Felipe Luís, encouraged to bomb forward by Koke’s control of possession from a left-of-centre position and able to offer a potent attacking threat from left-back. Los Colchoneros’ forays forward have been slightly lopsided (41% on the left flank), although that is nothing particularly new, with that figure the same as last term.
More attack-minded wide players
Atleti’s greater ambition can also been illustrated by the fact that Simeone has regularly opted for more attacking options in the wide midfield positions, whereas in the past he often looked for Koke and Saul to tuck in alongside the two central midfielders.
Games at Celta Vigo and Valencia would normally be considered two of the campaign’s toughest away fixtures, but Koke began both centrally, with out-and-out winger Yannick Carrasco starting on the left in Galicia and attacker Angel Correa playing from the right at Mestalla. In home matches against weaker sides such as Sporting Gijón and Deportivo, meanwhile, offensive duo Carrasco and Nico Gaitán were selected on the flanks, with a Gaitán-Saúl-Koke-Carrasco midfield quartet allowing Atlético to produce their best attacking performance of the campaign in a rousing 5-0 win against Sporting.
The Champions League group game at home to Bayern Munich, Europe’s most in-form team at the time, gave Simeone the perfect opportunity to revert to type (in last season’s clash, Koke and Saúl occupied the wide roles, admittedly in a match with much more at stake). Yet Carrasco was given the nod to support Griezmann and Fernando Torres from the left, with Koke again pulling the strings in midfield (his 76 passes were the most of any Atletico player); the Belgian fully justified his selection by netting the match-winner in the first half.
Griezmann and his burgeoning partnership with Gameiro
Of course, the form of the majestic Griezmann has been another key factor and his relationship with summer signing Kevin Gameiro has improved almost on a weekly basis. The French pair, who also turned on the style for their country against Bulgaria last Friday, have netted eight goals between them in Atleti’s last five La Liga outings, making for a rapid improvement in their understanding.
Griezmann and Gameiro struggled to hit it off in the former’s first match of the season at Leganés, with Griezmann, desperate to get on the ball in order to help his team make the breakthrough, frequently dropping deep into midfield and leaving his strike partner isolated. And even when he did break into more advanced positions, he and his compatriot were more often than not working on different wavelengths.
How things have changed. Griezmann has reaped the rewards from gauging the right moment to play his increasingly-showcased Messi-like role from the right and when to get close to Gameiro, with the ex-Sevilla man assisting three of his teammate’s last four La Liga goals.
Substitutes’ impact, attacking strength in depth
Finally, Simeone has never had such a variety of attacking options from the bench and has never been more prepared to use them. Torres and Carrasco replaced holding players Gabi and Tiago in the season opener against Alavés, while similar switches took place in Leganés as Carrasco and Gaitán came on for Gabi and Augusto. But it was in Barcelona and Valencia where ‘El Cholo’s’ substitutions were most telling.
The most ‘Atlético-like’ performance of the campaign so far has unsurprisingly come at Camp Nou (the other deployment of 4-2-3-1 from the off), with the capital outfit under the cosh but defending admirably – as they have done so often in recent years – for the majority of the first hour (only 30% possession, no fewer than 26 clearances and 14 blocks in 90 minutes). The introduction of Torres and Correa for Gameiro and Saúl, playing one of the two holding roles, paid immediate dividends, with Correa snatching an equaliser and securing a point for his team within seconds of coming on.
In Valencia, meanwhile, Carrasco took over from Saúl at 0-0, stayed wider and stretched the play; Los Rojiblancos were ahead no more than five minutes later (they admittedly should have been in front long before the former Monaco man took to the field).
Positivity – the key to success?
It would be wrong to suggest that Atleti haven’t been forced to show their incredible desire to defend at times this season, with the game in Barcelona the most notable example. However, Simeone will have taken a great deal of pleasure from the home victory against Bayern, who enjoyed 67% possession but at no time had their opponents on the ropes; indeed, the Spaniards defended surprisingly comfortably and were the more threatening team throughout, playing some easy-on-the-eye football in the process.
Could this be the blueprint for future games against the continent’s top teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona included, as Los Rojiblancos look to clinch a second title in four seasons and take the next step in Europe? Maybe, although Simeone, pragmatist that he is, will not have lost sight of the fact that they have done rather well while playing like a ‘small team’ – Xavi’s words, not mine.
Come May, though, it will be three years since they last won silverware, so an extra dose of positivity may be just what is required as they look to clear the final hurdle, which has stumped them on several occasions since that memorable spring evening in Catalonia back in 2014.