Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal: Issues and Decisions That Will Shape Liga Game
Fresh from securing top spot in Group A of the Champions League with a 0-0 draw against Juventus in Turin on Tuesday, Atletico Madrid welcome Villarreal to the Vicente Calderon on Sunday as action resumes in La Liga.
With European duties now completed for the calendar year, Atleti's entire focus is on maintaining pace with Real Madrid and Barcelona in a title race that's already shaping up to be as close as last season's.
The immediate step in that process comes with this weekend's clash with high-flying Villarreal, who have won four straight games and are unbeaten in their last seven in all competitions.
Across the following slides, we examine the key issues and decisions that will shape Sunday's match.
Can Atletico Break Their Post-Europe Blues?
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While Atletico Madrid's Champions League campaign has gone smoothly to date, Diego Simeone's men have often struggled this season upon returning to La Liga after a midweek European encounter.
After the 3-2 loss to Olympiacos in September, Atleti dropped their only points at home this season with a 2-2 draw to Celta Vigo.
When they edged out Juventus 1-0 at the Vicente Calderon in October, they were soundly beaten, 3-1, by Valencia three days later.
And straight after the recent 2-0 victory away to Malmo, Atletico slumped to that disappointing loss to Real Sociedad at the Anoeta.
In the wake of another hard-fought Champions League match, can Atleti buck the trend?
Villarreal's Ability to Cope with the Thursday-to-Sunday Schedule
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Like Atletico Madrid, Villarreal go into this weekend's contest on the back of European duties, having defeated Apollon Limassol, 2-0, in Cyprus in the Europa League on Thursday.
The victory was a convincing one for the Yellow Submarine, who extended their winning run to four games in all competitions and secured progression into the round of 32 in the competition.
Interestingly, Marcelino Garcia Toral's men have fared slightly better than Atletico this season when returning to La Liga action after featuring in Europe, recording four wins, two losses and a draw in their seven matches following Europa League encounters.
Of course, logic dictates that Atletico will arrive at Sunday's clash as the fresher of the two teams, given their two extra days of rest. But Villarreal have consistently shown this season that ventures into Europe haven't been a burden and they won't be phased by the Thursday-to-Sunday turnaround.
Diego Simeone's Use of Antoine Griezmann
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Since registering a brace in Atletico Madrid's 4-2 victory over Cordoba in early November, Antoine Griezmann has made just two starts in his club's last eight matches and didn't appear at all against Juventus on Tuesday.
Frankly, Diego Simeone's limited use of the precocious Frenchman is becoming baffling, given that he's the club's marquee summer signing and capable of adding another dimension to the Atletico attack.
But after sitting out Tuesday's Champions League clash—and watching his team-mates slug it out for all 90 minutes without a single substitution—Griezmann should be fresh and ready to relieve the heavy burden on some of Atleti's tiring stars.
Against a Villarreal outfit that's strong in possession, the forward's ability to run at defenders and carry the ball will likely prove pivotal in helping Atletico win the territory battle.
Atletico Madrid's Press vs. Villarreal's Diverse Attack
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Atletico Madrid's pair of matches against Elche and Juventus in the last week have provided a perfect illustration of the effect of the team's press.
When Atleti are able to enforce it, as they did against Elche, with centre-backs Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez pushing up onto the halfway line, Diego Simeone's men often bring their opponents to a grinding halt and capitalise on their physical advantage in something resembling an arm wrestle.
But when they can't effectively press, as was seen against Juventus, Atleti become bogged down in an attacking sense due to a lack of raw pace and dynamism in the team's forward setup, which prevents them from hauling themselves up the pitch.
Thus, the ability of Atletico to enforce their press is likely to be a key tactical point in this clash with Villarreal, who, when in full flow, boast the versatility to regularly push the home side back.
That capacity was on show when the Yellow Submarine hosted league-leading Real Madrid in late September—a game that saw Villarreal cut through Los Blancos both down the middle and out wide.
And although the result was a 2-0 loss, Villarreal's 19-11 advantage in shots on goal, per WhoScored.com, was indicative of their ability in attack.
Arda Turan's Positioning
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One of the more interesting aspects of Atletico Madrid's draw with Juventus on Tuesday was the positioning of Arda Turan in Diego Simeone's formation.
Rather than lining up on the right, as he has for much of the season, the Turk was deployed as a secondary forward alongside Mario Mandzukic (Raul Garcia replaced him on the right) before switching across to the left flank in the second half.
While it was clear that Simeone wanted Turan's ball-retaining skills alongside Mandzukic, the move stripped Atletico of their most potent combination: Turan and Juanfran down the right flank.
In recent weeks, the pair have been spectacular, with the creative midfielder so often releasing the full-back behind the opposition's defence after an intricate exchange.
After a rather barren performance in attack without that combination on Tuesday, one would expect Turan to return to his position on the right for Sunday's important encounter with Villarreal.
