UEFA-Shortlist-Best-Player

UEFA has announced the ten-player shortlist for the of voting for the 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. This season marks the sixth addition of the award, won last season by Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina.

The UEFA Best Player in Europe Award has previously been won by Lionel Messi a record two times (2011 & 2015), Andrés Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribéry (2013) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2014).

Due to the European Sports Media (ESM) group coming up with the initiative with UEFA, as in previous years, journalists from each of UEFA’s 54 member associations provided a list of their five best-ranked players ordered from one to five, with the first receiving five points, the second four and so on.

The ten-man shortlist of players with the most votes in alphabetical order is:

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)
Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid & France)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
Thomas Müller (Bayern München & Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern München & Germany)
Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Luis Suárez (Barcelona & Uruguay)

In total, 37 players picked up votes including Wigan Atheltic’s Will Griggs despite playing in League One and not appearing for a single minute of Northern Ireland’s Euro 2016 campaign. Astonishingly the forward got more votes than Kevin de Bruyne and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the same number as Paul Pogba.

Here is a full list of players that had at least one vote but missed out on the ten-man shortlist:

11 Riyad Mahrez (Leicester & Algeria)
12 Jamie Vardy (Leicester & England)
13 Dimitri Payet (West Ham & France)
14 Jérôme Boateng (Bayern München & Germany)
15 Arturo Vidal (Bayern München & Chile)
16 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia)
17 N’Golo Kanté (Leicester & France)
18 Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United & Sweden)
19= Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium)
19= Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)
19= Neymar (Barcelona & Brazil)
19= Renato Sanches (Benfica/Bayern München & Portugal)
23 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München & Poland)
24 Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli & Argentina)
25= Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus & Italy)
25= Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid & Uruguay)
25= Will Grigg (Wigan & Northern Ireland)
25= Hugo Lloris (Tottenham & France)
25= Paul Pogba (Juventus & France)
30= Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham & Belgium)
30= Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund & Gabon)
30= Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
30= Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla & France)
30= Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla/Paris Saint-Germain & Poland)
30= Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain & France)
30= Georges-Kévin N’Koudou (Marseille & France)
30= Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid & Slovenia)

The journalists from each of UEFA’s 54 member associations will now cast their votes for the outright winner from the 10-man shortlist, which will be announced during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 25 August.

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER NOW

Share this article:

Euro-2016-TOTT-blog

Usually, when putting together a tournament best XI, the temptation is to cram extra forwards into the side at the expense of a defender or two, but looking back on Euro 2016, that won’t be the case this time.

As Portugal’s surprise victory over France in the final demonstrated, this was a tournament in which defensive organisation, commitment and team-work trumped the individual brilliance of some of the game’s biggest names.

Following the trend set by the likes of Leicester City and Atlético Madrid, teams like Iceland, Wales and champions Portugal recognised the value of having a strong unit, greater than the sum of its parts, and caused some major upsets.

GK – Rui Patricio (Portugal)

The Long-time Sporting CP goalkeeper didn’t put a foot wrong all tournament, and excelled in the 1-0 extra-time victory over France in the final, making a string of crucial saves to keep his sheet clean.

LB – Raphaël Guerreiro (Portugal)

Raphaël Guerreiro was marked out as one of the young players to keep an eye on before the Euros began thanks to his excellent season in Ligue 1. The young full-back didn’t disappoint as he was outstanding for Portugal throughout the competition. Guerrero’s performances will have Borussia Dortmund fans drooling at the prospect of having him in their side next season, after BVB secured the 22-year-old’s signature from Lorient.

CB – Pepe (Portugal)

Real Madrid centre-back Pepe is a figure of derision in many quarters due to his gamesmanship and penchant for the dramatic. But the 33-year-old won over many observers with his performances at Euro 2016. Pepe stood at the heart of the Portuguese defence, and was their most consistent and dependable performer, and would be my personal pick for player of the tournament.

CB – Leonardo Bonucci (Italy)

Juventus centre-half Leanardo Bonucci was already considered to be arguably the best player in the world in his position before the Euros kicked off, and his performances for Italy in their run to the quarter-finals served only to rubber stamp his status as perhaps the best defender in the world. Physical, athletic and strong in the challenge, the 29-year-old is also extremely comfortable in possession and able to play accurate, long, defence-splitting passes.

RB – Joshua Kimmich (Germany)

As a midfielder who spent most of his time at centre-back for Bayern Munich last season, 21-year-old Joshua Kimmich is used to adapting to new positions. And that’s exactly what he did for Germany at Euro 2016, turning out at right-back and playing as though he’d been operating in that role for a decade.

MD – Aaron Ramsey (Wales)

Gareth Bale may be the Welshman to grab most of the headlines, but Aaron Ramsey was the Dragons’ best player at Euro 2016. The Arsenal man demonstrated a steel and physicality that has not always been apparent in his game, while providing the key passes to fire his side into an unlikely semi-final. Ramsey missed Wales’ semi-final defeat to Portugal due to suspension; who knows what could’ve been had he been on the pitch.

MD – Toni Kroos (Germany)

Toni Kroos ended Euro 2016 with a pass accuracy of over 92%, and averaged 107 passes per match. The Germany midfielder was Mister Consistent for Joachim Löwe’s men. The 26-year-old was at his usual impervious best as he helped Die Mannschaft reach the semi-finals, before losing 2-0 to France despite dominating possession.

MD – Renato Sanches (Portugal)

Teenager Renato Sanches was named young player of the tournament, and he edges out Portugal team-mate William Carvalho to get into my XI. The Bayern Munch new boy was not a starter as the tournament kicked off, but at the competition progressed he forced his way into the side, making himself vital to his nation’s Euro glory with his energy, dynamism and drive from midfield.

RW – Gareth Bale (Wales)

Gareth Bale was pegged as the key man for Wales before the tournament began, with many suggesting that the Wales team was simply Bale plus 10. That assertion was wholly unfair on the rest of Chris Coleman’s men, but there is no doubt that Bale is the man they look to for attacking inspiration. And the Real Madrid man didn’t let his nation down as he bagged an impressive three goals on Wales’ run to the semi-finals.

CF – Antoine Griezmann (France)

Top scorer with six goals, and named the official player of the tournament by UEFA, Atlético Madrid forward Antione Griezmann had a fantastic Euro 2016. Despite a slow start – Griezmann was even dropped for France’s second group game – as soon as Didier Deschamps deployed the former Real Socieded man in a central position he came to life, scoring the goals that fired Les Bleus to the final. He was, however, unable to net his side’s best chance in the Final, as the hosts slumped to a shock defeat against Portugal.

LW – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Based purely on footballing performances, Ronaldo wouldn’t make this team. Undoubtedly the best player in the competition, and arguable the best European player of all time, Ronaldo’s on-field displays were largely disappointing. A strong second half in the final group game against Hungary and a solid display against Wales in the semi-final, were juxtaposed with some below-par performances, including a particularly wasteful game against Poland in the quarter-final.

But Ronaldo, as captain of the competition winners, gets in to this XI by virtue of the leadership he demonstrated in guiding an unfancied side to an unlikely triumph. And, although he wasn’t always at his best on the pitch, the former Manchester United man still managed to bag three goals, making him the second-highest scorer behind Griezmann.

About the author – Ryan Baldi

Ryan is a Midlands based freelance sports writer specialising in European football. He has been fascinated with the continental game ever since he was presented with his first football kit at the age of 7 years old whilst on holiday in Spain – a Barcelona shirt with ‘Romario 10’ printed on the back. A contributor to numerous footballing websites, Ryan has also covered martial arts for local and national print publications. Ryan’s musings on European football can be found here.

twitter: @RyanBaldiEFB

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER NOW

Share this article:

France-Football-Dynasty

France have the chance to establish a new footballing dynasty with Euro 2016 victory

The 2016 UEFA European Championship will get underway when hosts France face Romania at Stade de France on Friday.

Didier Deschamps’ men are among the hot favourites to win this summer’s title and a quick look through Les Bleus’ squad illustrates why they are fancied by so many to claim their third continental crown on home soil.

The current French crop boasts the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, Juventus’ Paul Pogba, Paris Saint-Germain’s Blaise Matuidi, Manchester United’s Anthony Martial, West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet and Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris.

Deschamps’ group looks extremely balanced on paper. Added to the fact that they have been handed a favourable draw in Group A, France have the potential to go far in their own backyard.

The 47-year-old tactician’s squad already looks formidable but when you consider that Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane, Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho, Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, Olympique Lyonnais duo Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir, as well as OGC Nice’s Hatem Ben Arfa are all missing, the hosts could be more formidable than they already are.

The crazy thing is that Les Bleus’ well of talent does not run dry there. In fact, if anything, that is only scratching the surface.

PSG pair Alphonse Areola and Adrien Rabiot, not to mention Borussia Dortmund’s teenage sensation Ousmane Dembele, Athletic Club’s Aymeric Laporte and Lyon’s Samuel Umtiti (who is actually in Deschamps’ Euro squad), are yet to make their senior debuts for the French senior side.

The likes of Inter Milan’s Geoffrey Kondogbia and Stade Rennais’ Paul-Georges Ntep only have a few caps to their name and the under-21 side is loaded with talents capable of making the step up to senior level in the near future.

France has an opportunity with this summer’s European Championship to establish a footballing dynasty that could last for many years.

If the hosts can hoist the Henri Delaunay trophy at Stade de France next month, there is a very good chance that we could see the same thing happen in Russia at Luzhniki Stadium in 2018, in England at Wembley in 2020 and perhaps even in Qatar at Lusail Iconic Stadium in 2022.

The likes of Griezmann, Pogba, Martial and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman all should have at least three more major international tournaments left in them after Euro 2016, arguably more for the latter trio.

With so many top talents on the fringes of Deschamps’ squad or yet to be integrated into the senior setup at all, it is easy to see Les Bleus becoming the world and European order sometime in the next few years.

Germany may well win this summer’s tournament and add the European title to their world crown but France are the most likely side to wrest it away from them in the coming years, should that happen.

What Deschamps’ team needs now is experience; the experience of playing in big international tournaments like the Euro and the experience of going on deep run to the latter stages and possibly all the way.

Once the key younger members of this group have tasted that, the seed for future success will have been sown. All that will be left to do then is for Deschamps, or a similar figure, to harvest the glory that many of these phenomenally talented players are destined for.

The FIFA under-20 World Cup success of 2013, featuring the likes of Pogba, Zouma, Areola, Umtiti, Kondogbia and Lucas Digne was a taste of what should lie ahead of many members of this emerging generation of talent.

What France need now is for some of those players to acquire the necessary experience so that the next wave of gifted footballers can be brought into the senior setup. Once that happens, once Les Bleus enjoy that initial success, they should become a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

This summer’s European Championship on home soil is the perfect opportunity to take that next step and Deschamps’ men could then realistically target World Cup success in Russia after that.

Even if ultimate success does not await the French at Stade de France in July, it surely will not elude them for much longer. One thing is for sure, the future is bright and the future is Bleu.

About the author – Jonathan Johnson

Ligue 1 and French football journalist. Covering PSG in English. Work is published regularly on @EPSNFC,@br_uk, @YahooSportUK and @beINSPORTUSA.

twitter: @Jon_LeGossip

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER NOW

Share this article:

France-v-England-3-to-Watch

France’s match against England tonight represents much more than the actions that are going to take place on the pitch. Tonight offers a chance for the French to send a message of hope to their public after the tragedy that occurred over the weekend. Les Bleu’s have often been the voice of society, for example standing firm during the 1998 World Cup when ex-players labelled some of their biggest stars as “foreigners” for ancestry that came from other parts of the French Empire.

Their most important players during that tournament had roots in Algeria, Guadeloupe and Mali. Before that in the 1984 European Championships, their famous Carre Magique (Magic Square) had routes in Mali, Senegal, Italy and Poland. Tonight’s team have the same issue, as players from different cultural backgrounds, religions and beliefs come together to form a team, united ahead of their hosting of Euro 2016. Whilst their actions off the pitch are going to be under the spotlight, let’s take a look at three players who can alter their fortunes on it.

Antoine Griezmann

It’s hard to believe that Griezmann has only just become a fundamental part of the French national team, and even harder to believe that he was nearly left at home as the squad traveled to Brazil last year. During the tournament, Les Bleu’s dazzled with their attacking football, putting 5 past Switzerland before crashing out to Germany. Griezmann offers Deschamps team natural width, but also carries a goal scoring threat that many wingers seem to lack. His ‘tough love’ relationship with Diego Simeone has transformed him from fleeting winger into gritty striker, meaning that the Sociedad-schooled youngster may move into the middle. The Aletico striker’s relationship with Deschamps has never been easy, with the coach always pushing his player to do more. However, his recent form seems to have delighted his coach who described his protege as “clinical, comfortable on either side and tactically very aware”. On a personal level, Griezmann’s sister was a survivor of the Bataclan attacks at the weekend and he will be keen to do her proud.

Lassana Diarra

Like Griezmann, Diarra has direct ties to the Paris attacks that occurred over the weekend. His cousin Asta Diakite was one of the 129 people killed. Friday’s game against Germany was meant to be a momentous occasion for the Marseille man. Born in Paris and making his comeback at the stadium he grew up less than 2 kilometers away from, Diarra has finally set the wheels of his career back in motion after it stalled in Russia. His performances for Olympique de Marseille have been incredibly impressive, adding steel and experience to a team that is young and attack minded. Sitting in front of the back four for Marseille his defensive displays have been eye-catching, but it is his reading of the game that is the most impressive. Like many defensive midfielders nowadays his distribution is as good as his tackling and 80 solid minutes versus World Champions Germany suggested that Diarra still has the class on the pitch to affect games at international level. Emotionally, Diarra will be keen to pay his respects to someone he described as his ‘big sister’ by playing the game of his life.

Blaise Matuidi

In a team full of international superstars, Matuidi has become one of the most important players at Paris Saint Germain. The ultimate box-to-box midfielder, with incredible athleticism it’s surprising that Matuidi has not been gaining attention from clubs on this side of the channel. Matuidi was PSG’s first signing after their Qatari takeover, and was bought in as a direct replacement for the outgoing Claude Makalele. In his time at PSG, Matuidi has grown infintely as a player; adding a fantastic passing range to his already rounded games, but most importantly has a knack of scoring goals at crucial times – scoring the winning goal against Barcelona in the Champions League, and the goal to secure PSG’s league title against Montpelier. Acting as the lynchpin for France at international level, Matuidi has been a mainstay since Euro2012 providing a viable out-ball to relieve pressure, but most importantly acting as the glue between defence and attack. France have an electric front-three and the work rate of Matuidi clearing up in behind allows those to flourish. His lung-bursting runs will catch the eye tonight, but be mindful that there is much more to Matuidi than running.

About the Author – Ben Jarman

Freelance football writer with a penchant for Spanish and European football. Work published by Fulham FC, Italian FA and the Evening Standard.

Twitter: @sonikkicks

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW

Share this article:

Atletico-Add-Individual-Flair-to-Solid-Foundations

Atletico Madrid’s La Liga title triumph in 2013/14 was one of the greatest achievements in modern football history.

Diego Simeone’s outfit, the third team in Spain, came out on top in what was widely considered to be a two-horse race between Barcelona and Real Madrid. While there are plenty of examples of upsets of a similar nature in knockout competitions, Atletico’s title win was undoubtedly more impressive given that it came over the course of a regular 38-game domestic campaign.

Although he had less gifted players to call upon than Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and Tata Martino at Barcelona, Simeone created a side of fierce competitors who were extremely difficult to play against. There was plenty of quality in the squad too, with Koke, Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois and Arda Turan all truly excellent players, but Simeone’s greatest success was producing a side whose whole was significantly stronger than the sum of its individual parts.

Rather remarkably, Atletico won the league with an average possession of just 49 percent (the figures recorded by other champions that year were 55 by Manchester City, 57 by Bayern Munich, 60 by Paris Saint-Germain and 54 by Juventus). Their approach was based on being extremely well-organised, solid and compact – both from back to front and side to side – in the defensive phase of play before springing forward quickly on the counter-attack when the ball was turned over. There were also plenty of set-piece goals, with Atletico finding the back of the net on an astonishing 24 occasions from dead-ball situations.

Countless players enjoyed terrific seasons, including the aforementioned quartet, but it was no-nonsense centre-back Diego Godin and central midfielder Gabi who best epitomised Atleti’s style: there are far more gifted technicians around than the duo, but their strength, commitment, attitude and endeavour symbolised what Simeone’s charges were all about.

Fast forward two years and, in a sense, little has changed. Atletico are still intense and aggressive, regularly smothering opponents into submission. They have retained that knack of seeming to winning every second ball and 50-50 challenge, and continue to be a horrible team to face.

There are, however, some notable differences between the 2013/14 Atletico and the one currently sitting fourth in the La Liga table, just four points behind Madrid and Barcelona at the summit.

There is greater invention and individual flair in the current group, with Antoine Griezmann, Yannick Ferreria Carrasco, Oliver Torres, Angel Correa all capable of assuming the creative mantle.

While such players are not absolved from their defensive duties and off-the-ball obligations, they have brought more skill and pace to the ranks at the Vicente Calderon; Atletico’s core identity is unchanged, but a dash of extra guile has been added to the solid foundations that were already in place.

Carrasco’s fine goal in the recent 2-1 victory over Valencia perfectly showcased the mix between the old and the new: the Belgian winger won possession back after some aggressive pressing, before dribbling past two players and firing a low drive into the bottom corner.

Barcelona and Madrid remain heavy favourites to finish top of the pile at the end of the campaign. After their astonishing achievements of two seasons ago, though, it would be foolish in the extreme to write Atletico off just yet.

About the Author – Greg Lea

Freelance football writer. Work published by FourFourTwo, The Guardian, World Soccer, Goal, The National, Squawka, Eurosport, The Blizzard + others.

Twitter @GregLeaFootball

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW

Share this article:

Yannick-Ferreira-Carrasco

Dispossessing the ever dependent Enzo Perez in the right-back position before skipping past Andre Gomes with an impressive change of pace and firing a stinging shot into the bottom left hand corner, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco announced himself to Atlético de Madrid fans. More importantly he announced the new look Atlético to the world. Since their dramatic championship back in 2014, Diego Simeone has been trying to create a new look side, one whose efficiencies can be matched with flair and explosiveness. 18 months on, it looks as though the Argentinian has finally achieved his goal of a team that mixes flair with the traditional solidity of a Simeone team.

Their stunning victory over Valencia this weekend epitomised how the new-look Atlético will play – although they retained their solidity in the centre with experienced pair Gabi and Tiago, they added super quick transitions and increased intensity in wide positions. Traditionally, Atléti struggled for quality in wide areas preferring to use central midfielders as makeshift wingers, before using super sub Cristian Rodriguez primarily as an out-ball when under pressure. Now with their younger, technically gifted wide men Atléti have shape-shifted into a counter-attacking high-intesity unit full of tricks and flicks. The new breed of wide players are faster, sharper and more threatening.

The introduction of Ferreira-Carrasco-Atletico-Madrid-twitter has put new emphasis on wide positions. Simeone wants his players to express themselves, to become highlight players, full of tricks flicks, flair and intensity. He needs them to create for him after a year where Atlético hadn’t reached anywhere near the heights of their title winning season. Last years Rojiblancos lacked intensity, flexibility and at times looked incredibly short of ideas – this year, they look more comfortable with themselves, more ready to try the unthinkable.

Carrasco encapsulates everything Simeone desires, the intensity and desire to perform but as demonstrated with his goal the ability to add an additional dimension. His surging runs down the left hand side constantly caused problems for Valencia, and both of the goals came from that side of the pitch. One thing Carrasco caught the eye with during his time at Monaco was his expression with the ball – unlike many modern wingers, he is not afraid to ask questions of a full-back. His goal embodied his wonderful performance. But what shouldn’t go unnoticed was the Belgians work rate in those sparkling 69 minutes. Valencia rely so heavily on their full-backs, but the threat of Cancelo was immediately nullified by the defensive side of the young mans game. Simeone has definitely matured his game in the short time he has worked with him, and it is easy to draw comparisons with the road map that Antoine Griezmann has taken in the capital.

To give context; the two games with Valencia last year were the toughest that Simeone’s side had faced outside of Real and Barca. A year on and Atlético showed that their progression on the field has been massive, whereas Valencia’s big strides off the pitch haven’t been matched with performances. Valencia seem more content on lining the pockets of Benfica and Manchester City as well as airing their dirty laundry in Spanish newspapers than building on the fantastic achievements that they made last year. Boss Nuno has fallen out with €30m man Alvaro Negredo after the Spanish international told AS that he had no idea what the Portuguese was doing tactically, with influential coach Ian Cathro pitching up at Newcastle in the off-season.

Simeone on the other hand has become much more flexible with tactics over time, his willingness to innovate has lead to Atléti making huge strides. They look threatening on the counter, but the influx of talented younger players has meant that Atlético have become much better at retaining the ball – evidently, their one advantage over other teams during the title winning season was their ability to work the other team off the pitch and counter attack with pace. Now, Atléti have evolved, they have become quicker in transition, much better at cycling the ball around to create spaces and look much more comfortable when playing out of the back and through the phases. Tiago, aged 34, looks as majestic as he did ten years ago winning the title with Chelsea. Jose Maria Gimenez is keeping out big summer signing Stefan Savic and under the tutelage of Diego Godin looks to be turning into a younger form of his tutor.

As Ferriera Carrasco was replaced by hometown starlet Oliver Torres, the Vicente Calderon was on it’s feet.. “Carrasco, Carrasco!” they boomed as the Belgian trotted off the pitch. If initial performances are anything to go by, they will continue to shout his name for many years as he wins the hearts of El Frente. Atletico, meanwhile, are on the road to success and winning back the hearts of Europe’s football enthusiasts.

About the Author – Ben Jarman

Freelance football writer with a penchant for Spanish and European football. Work published by Fulham FC, Italian FA and the Evening Standard.

Twitter: @sonikkicks

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW

Share this article:

Diego-Simeone

Over the course of July and August, Atlético Madrid assembled the most eclectic squad of the Simeone era to date, in what was a clear changing of approach from the shot callers at the Calderón.

After a hangover season for los Colchoneros, who, as expected, failed to defend their title of 2013-14, it was evident that the club would need to formulate a new plan if they were to return to the summit of Spanish football. And following the conclusion of the summer transfer period, it seemed as if they had secured the chips they needed to launch a renewed assault on Real Madrid and Barcelona.

However, nine games into the new campaign, Atlético have already been defeated three times, with two of them coming at the usually bulletproof Calderón. But more so than results at such an early stage, the more profound concern has been the team’s struggle to unload their new found wealth of ammunition.

In their most recent game against Real Madrid, we saw further signs of star players being inhibited. For long stretches in a game where Atlético were chasing, Antoine Griezmann – the club’s unassailable superintendent – spent an unhealthy amount of time with an eye on the protection of his full back, sacrificing attacking expression for rigidity. The 24-year-old would remain on the periphery of the game throughout; one they needed him the most in.

Ángel Correa, the club’s new injector of youthful attacking zest, also found himself marooned far from his optimal areas of play for large portions of the contest. Playing as a second striker to Fernando Torres, the Argentine remained the liveliest of Atlético’s crop, but the overawing feeling was that he had been held back by a duty to defend in the same capacity as his other teammates. By the 59th minute, Simeone’s most effective attacking weapon was substituted; out of fuel for the night.

The defensive demand of his attacking players hasn’t only been an issue in the big fixtures, either. Even against newly promoted Las Palmas – who played with a reinforced, face-saving 5-3-2 system themselves – Atlético persisted with an overzealously cautious approach of their own when out of possession, making sure every man was behind the ball. They would eventually squeak a 1-0 win at the Calderón, thanks to a deflected Griezmann free kick.

Now, such demands have always been on his players, and it has brought them great success. But Diego Simeone’s palette of options is evolving – perhaps more so than ever before. Atlético were incessantly bold in the transfer market; collating an array of attacking tools that would seemingly have them covered for a wide scale of eventualities. That type of audacity is yet to correlate on the field though, and the sense of under-application is starting to become tangible.

Taking issue with Simeone’s demands does feel somewhat like sacrilege, given how it has changed Atlético’s standing in world football. But as much as ‘Cholo’ craves for his team to remain the underdog, and thus prolong their backs-to-the-wall approach, the reality is that his playing squad has been injected with some 80 million euros worth of talent over the summer (most of it attack-leaning), and that type of expression has not even nearly emerged on the pitch.

It comes as no surprise that Atlético’s best two performances of the season to date came away from home, at Sevilla and Galatasaray. It is there, in those hostile arenas against sizable challenges – where the scope to mix things up is granted – that Simeone’s men thrive. Taking the game to their opponents back on home soil, or where they are expected to establish and maintain the front foot, however, is proving a thorn in the side of this transitioning team.

Simeone coined the term ‘partido a partido’ in their title-winning season of 2013-14, in reference to treating each game as its own final and being non-discriminatory of each opponent. Evidently, it has served them very well and seen them build towards targets that were deemed inconceivable for a long time. However, the Atlético of then and the Atlético of now is markedly different. With their unexpected success, every corner of the club has developed; changing the dynamic of their tasks, and heightening responsibilities as a product, even if Simeone remains coy in regards to their modus operandi (he claims their real competitors are Valencia and Sevilla, not the big two).

Of course, it’s merely a method of containing expectation. Atlético and Simeone want to be the champions of Spain again – as soon as possible – but utilising many recurring themes of the dogged approach from 2013-14 with the current, more nuanced crop of players doesn’t appear to be doing them many favours at present.

After a summer in which all the talk on incomings revolved around how they would adapt to Atlético and Simeone, maybe the time is coming to experiment with some role reversal in the interest of maximising their individual stamp on games.

About the author – Jamie Kemp

Jamie is a freelance sportswriter, who writes on English and Spanish varieties of football in the main. He is also the creator of the popular blog El Rondo; a spot where you can find regular musings on the world of La Liga.

twitter: @jamiekemp

PLAY SOCCER MANAGER 2016 NOW

 

Share this article: