An Influx of Goals for Atleti

How to build on the momentum

Since the loss against Real Betis, Atleti have been on a tear winning every single game back to back with a seven game streak. That's both home and away, not every game has been blindingly convincing but in a title charge it’s good to know you can get results regardless of form.

While Atleti is currently in all 3 competitions and while not completely comfortable, it’s when things are going especially well that you should build upon that and I want to expand on that in this article.

Full use of the Squad

Simeone has managed to make the most out of is roughly 23 man squad, redefining rules for players who are either on the outskirts of the squad last season or where in particularly bad form. Galan and Molina are the two biggest players who have benefited over the recent changes, as they continuous hard work has managed to put them into multiple positions where they have helped pick up crucial points for Atleti.

Some players from last season of building upon the already previously good form into the next step, Marcos Llorente, Pablo Barrios, Angel Correa, Jan Oblak and more. It can't be overstated how beneficial is to have these players in and around the squad to push to get to that next stage in every competition,

The new players have have all managed to find a place in the squad, both in rotation as well as starting. While this is a pleasant outcome, a lot could be said that the transition towards this team could have been much smoother had they have been brought in to the squad earlier and points would not have needed to be sacrificed.

Alvarez adds a much needed third man to most of the Atleti attacks that was preoccupied heavily by Griezmann before and chipped in by the attacking midfielders of Lemar and Depaul. With his emergence the ability to create chances from the middle is unlocked, whether it's him making the pass or the run, the attack is now diversified in ways that Atleti lacked.

Being a SS generally means you have to be a flexible player and since that's the case, a coach like Simeone can get the most out of you. This was most apparent in the Sparta Prague and Valladolid games, Alvarez, Correa, Griezmann and Simeone actively found in the left side channels, right side channels and in between the lines, wherever they needed to be, there they were.

Who's left out so far?

So far the biggest losers after the uptick in form has been Lino, Riquelme and Reinildo. Ironically this short list has some of the key players of last season, all 3 being most prominent on the left hand side of the pitch. The back 3 system got the most out of all of these players but it’s not as if they’re immediately bad outside of it, there should be some consideration for them going forward, especially Lino and Riquelme.

While I wouldn't say Gallagher is struggling, the 442 system doesn't seem to get the best out of the Englishman. While he had an assist in the Sparta Prague game, he was not at his best offensively. The one moment that stood out was the brief time he was on the right hand side and put

I think Thomas Lemar is almost two steps out of the club through no fault of his own, he’s basically been injured for the past year and a half. He’s only had 5 official appearances in that time due to a long term injury and multiple other minor injuries coinciding at bad times. Even the most ardent of Lemar fans can’t see a future with a player who is perpetually out due to injury and a replacement should likely be searched for.

What's missing in our current Squad?

Despite the brilliant run of form and seemingly scintillating football, there are still a few areas in the squad that require attention, both for now and in preparation of next season.

Though it may not seem like it, Atletico is not very stacked in the Midfield apartment and an injury to a key player can very easily derail all of the momentum built so far. Gallagher was brought in this summer more so as a replacement for Llorente in the midfield, meaning there is still a gap in Saul, Vermeeren and Lemar's positions respectively.

While there isn't a need to buy for all the positions, priority should be made for a defensive midfielder in the market as I do not believe that there is a proper profile for it in the subsidiary. An untimely Barrios injury set the team’s form out of whack and should Koke or Barrios get injured there will be a huge problem going forward.

For the other positions that were lacking since the summer, I think dipping into the subsidiary should suffice short term(and potentially long term).

Copa Del Rey and the Subsidiary?

Copa Del Rey rounds always feature a few academy players and with the team flying on a high, now is the most opportune time. Atletico Madrid’s B team plays in the 3rd division of Spanish football and their next opponent comes from the tier below them in the 4th tier, so they have some experience. Several players are trying to make their first team debut and eventual integration into the first team and these months of the B team have showed some clear favorites:

Rayane Belaid

Rayane is an attacking midfielder who operates mostly on the left hand side, while he loves playing in between the lines and roaming he's accustomed to doing the hard work off the ball as well. Right now he's probably the most obviously player I can think of to replace Lemar both in position and form.

Javi Boñar

Bonar is a very versatile player, having played CB, fullback and even midfield throughout his academy career, what stands out the most is his general ability is very high in all of the positions. One of our most promising talents that practically bleeds Atletico Madrid in everything, I think he is a perfect player who'll find himself in the squad and eventually the starting XI.

Selu Diallo

This player has already made his first team debut but with Deportivo Alaves last season, for reasons I'm not clear of they've given away an incredible midfield prospect to Atleti, arguably the MVP so far for Atleti B, he's been a brilliant 8 in the double pivot for Atleti B.

Geronimo Spina

Spina joins in as a very solid CB who is comfortable on and off the ball with a great read of the game. He’s most comfortable as a CCB in a back 3 but ultimately can play any CB role given and his role is similar to what Gimenez currently does.

There are also two usual suspects in the backline Dani Martinez and Ilias Kostis are putting a solid foot forward in their appeals for CB, I've previously mentioned the 2 CB most recently in the preseason article here.

Conclusion

Ultimately I believe now is the time, for Atletico to properly take it's trajectory in mind and snowball into leading positions. Simeone has already shown a very acute ability to get the most out of his squad so far, being the manager that has given substitutes the most minutes in Europe as show in another highly rated article here. As a manager wants to have the most options at hand, the integration of some positions is necessary to properly compete with the other giants in Europe and Spain.