5 Issues That Atletico Madrid Need to Work on During International Break

The international break means that teams will go almost two weeks without any competitive action and managers will be left to work with fringe members of their respective squads.

When your best players leave to represent their countries, it's arguable that little can be done to prepare the side for the future.

However, it's an opportunity for the coach to spend more time with the youngsters and those who have not yet reached the desired level.

Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone will have the chance to formulate a number of ideas in theory before transferring them practically in the run-up to Christmas.

Dribbling the Ball Upfield

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One of the defining images from last season was that of Atletico Madrid's brilliance on the counter-attack.

Their ability to move the ball quickly, combined with their pace driving upfield, were key components to them winning the title.

This year, only Levante and Eibar have completed less dribbles per match than Atleti in La Liga, via WhoScored.com.

The majority of opponents are now sitting deeper, which partly explains the problem, as they have less space behind defences.

They are also without Diego Costa's powerful runs and Felipe Luis overlapping on the left, but it's still a surprising statistic.

Simeone should devise a number of training exercises to encourage the explosiveness of Antoine Griezmann, Arda Turan and Juanfran.

Integrating Alessio Cerci

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Alessio Cerci started 35 out Torino's 38 league matches last term and appeared as a substitute in two others, via ESPN.

The team scored 58 goals in Serie A, with Cerci contributing 13 goals and 10 assists from a wide position.

This season, he hasn't started a single match and we are already a quarter of the way through the campaign.

It was always going to be difficult to settle in a new country, learn a new language and adapt to the expectations of playing for the champions, but the Italian needs to provide more in training.

Now is the perfect occasion to show El Cholo that he is more than capable of providing competition within the squad, while he's on duty for his national team. 

Coming Back from Losing Positions

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It's not easy to breach Los Rojiblancos' defence, as they have kept nine clean sheets in 16 competitive matches this term, per WhoScored.com.

They are a solid unit that benefits from the good understanding between centre-backs Diego Godin and Miranda.

However, when they do concede first, they struggle to win matches.

Their draw with Celta Vigo in September is still the only time they have claimed a point in such a predicament, and they have not won this season after falling behind.

Finding the Right Striker Combination

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Simeone's preferred formation remains 4-4-2, but the coach has yet to find the best partner for Mario Mandzukic.

The Croatian forward appears to be more comfortable as a lone striker, while there are numerous options to operate in the space behind.

Simeone needs to find a forward who can link the most effectively and complement Mandzukic's attributes.

Raul Garcia, Antoine Griezmann and Raul Jimenez have all played alongside Mandzukic at some stage this campaign.

Scoring from Open Play

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Atletico's aerial prowess and capability from set pieces is well documented.

They have scored a massive 14 of their 20 league goals from dead-ball situations, if you include their one penalty, via WhoScored.com.

This is a useful commodity to possess, although it's an incredibly high proportion for a side with championship aspirations.

Just six goals from open play illustrates the lack of fluidity between the attackers.

Simeone needs to work on some set patterns for breaking down stubborn opposition, which can then be transferred to his senior players when they return from national duty.