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A look at Atletico Madrid ahead of their Champions League clash with Man Utd

Manchester United’s only hopes of silverware for the remainder of the season will be through the Champions League, as they have already been knocked out from the EFL Cup and the FA Cup, whilst currently sitting loosely in fourth place and exactly 20 points behind league leaders Manchester City.

The Red Devils have been drawn a difficult tie with La Liga side Atletico Madrid, who are certainly no strangers when it comes to European football, as they have previously reached the finals of the Champions League in 2014 and 2016. Since the start of the Diego Simeone era, the Spanish club have gone on to become one of the few teams in Europe that are impossible to beat over two legs.

With no further ado, we look closely into Los Colchoneros and what should be known about them…

 

The season so far…

Atletico Madrid had huge expectations of challenging for the league title going into the 2021/22 season, especially with Barcelona entering a new era without Lionel Messi and Real Madrid having a quiet summer transfer window compared to their usual standards. However, that has not been the case, with Simeone’s side sitting in fifth place and they have only won back-to-back league matches on two occasions so far this season, summing up the flaws and inconsistencies within the team.

The Spanish side got off to a good start to the campaign, picking up 19 points out of a potential 30 from their first ten league matches. Though, the downhill began from there, with the missing presence of a natural left-back, the injury issues to Jose Gimenez and Stefan Savic, whilst the backup players in Felipe, Mario Hermoso and Renan Lodi have been disappointing and underperforming.

One issue led to another, as midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia had to move into a centre-back position of a 3-1-4-2 system, left winger Yannick Carrasco had to adapt to a role as a wing-back and Marcos Llorente has been utilised as a full-back/wing-back on the right flank. This resulted in some players adjusting to a new role and formation, whilst the starting line-up was changed on a weekly basis.

Despite the defensive problems that Simeone’s men are having, and the opposition teams finding away into the final third of the pitch, the midfield and forward department have held up on their side very well, through their never-say-die attitude and ability to provide moments of brilliance.

Compared to the rest of the La Liga teams, Atletico Madrid sit in second place for chances created (60) and in third place for most goals scored (42), which is impressive for a pragmatic side that are below seven other teams in the league, when it comes to controlling and dominating possession.

The arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Matheus Cunha in the summer have proven to be much needed, with the former offering creativity and ability to linkup play from midfield to attack, and the latter providing his presence in the penalty area as Luis Suarez is no longer at the top of his game. Griezmann hasn’t had a single major injury through his footballing career, however, he has missed 11 games for Atletico so far this season and his aim is to be back to full fitness for the United game.

For sure, this season will be regarded as one of the worst campaigns Simeone has experienced during his ten years at Atletico Madrid, though, his side’s league form should not be taking into consideration ahead of the Champions League tie. With key players like Griezmann, Jimenez and Llorente being unavailable here and there due to injuries, captain Koke unable to fulfil the responsibility of individually looking after the midfield area in the first half of the season, the Colchoneros are expected to work as a unit once again and end the campaign on a high note.

 

The main strengths

It’s tough to mention a main strength that Atletico Madrid possess and show on a regular basis at the moment, though, when their squad is fully fit and at their best, they have the capability of mentally and physically draining out the opposition before killing them off on the counter. Not many oppositions sides can do this to a team managed by the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola, but Diego Simeone has shown over the years that the impossible can be completed.

On top of that, the Spanish side has shown themselves as a threatening team through counterattacks and set-pieces, scoring 12 out their 42 league goals through this phase. This will be something for Manchester United to consider, as their defensive organisation on set-pieces have been exposed from time to time, and Harry Maguire could be targeted due to his lack of pace.

 

The weaknesses to exploit

Normally known to be a defensively solid team, Atletico have conceded 34 goals in 24 league matches so far this season, the most they have conceded in a league campaign under Simeone and there are still 14 league games remaining. With both Jose Gimenez and Stefan Savic missing games through injury issues, suspensions and COVID-19, the side have been conceding chances constantly.

The side’s style of play is not on the same wavelength with the talented individuals they have, as they don’t dominate possession and do not look to press the opposition with aggression or intensity, which results in the key attackers to have limited time in creating chances and actually taking them.

When compared to the rest of the teams in the league, Los Colchoneros sit in eighth place for average possession rate and in fourth place for average shots per game, leading to the outcome that they must be clinical and dominant with the shots they attempt in order to win their games.

 

Atletico Madrid’s star player

With Yannick Carrasco serving a three-game suspension in the Champions League as well as Joao Felix not being a regular starter for the side, it leaves a clear pathway for Angel Correa to be mentioned as Atletico Madrid’s star player so far this season and the key player to watch out for.

The Argentine international has notched 10 goals and four assists in 24 La Liga appearances, as he has recently surpassed his best tally of nine league goals in a single campaign from the 2020/21 season. When noting his ability to play as a wide outlet or as a second striker, his burst of pace and intelligence to being in the right place at the right time, is what makes him an effective player.

 

Diego Simeone’s expected game plan

Simeone has had to experiment with different formations due to the number of defensive injuries in the first half of the season, but he is expected to continue with his 4-4-2 system in the Champions League, using Griezmann and Suarez as the forwards whilst Correa and Lemar will play on the flanks.

Atletico will not change away from their usual game plan of sitting deep within a low block, allowing the opposition to have control of the possession and to hit them on the counter-attack, when they have committed players like the full-backs, high up the pitch and are left wide open at the back.

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