A Progress Report on Atletico Madrid's Squad Entering March International Break
After a difficult run in recent weeks, Atletico Madrid enter the March international break on a positive note following consecutive victories over Bayer Leverkusen and Getafe.
Prior to the pair of triumphs, Diego Simeone's men had won just one of six games in all competitions, watching their title defence in La Liga fall away with three straight draws against Sevilla, Valencia and Espanyol that opened up a considerable gap between themselves and the league's behemoths, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But the victory over Bayer Leverkusen has kept Atleti's hopes of more silverware alive, with Los Colchoneros progressing into the Champions League quarter-finals, where they'll meet a Real Madrid team they've had the better of in 2014-15.
Across the following slides, we examine the progress of Atletico Madrid's squad as the club prepares to enter the final phase of the season.
Goalkeepers
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Having cost Atletico Madrid just €3 million last summer, Miguel Angel Moya can be considered among the best signings in Europe this season.
Though it seemed he would initially play as back-up to Jan Oblak—who, costing €16 million, Atleti made the most expensive goalkeeper in La Liga history—Moya has been an unexpected source of consistency and reliability for Diego Simeone this season.
However, a hamstring injury suffered by the Spaniard against Bayer Leverkusen has awarded an opportunity to Oblak, who shone in the penalty shootout against the German outfit and who showed signs of progression in the Copa del Rey earlier this year.
A veteran out; his talented understudy in—not a bad situation.
As such, Atletico now appear to have two very good glovemen—one steady, the other precocious—in the club's squad, which, in a way that had once seemed unlikely, has helped to offset the loss of the outstanding Thibaut Courtois to Chelsea.
Right-Backs
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In the opening stages of the 2014-15 season, Atletico Madrid's right-back Juanfran was enjoying the form of his life under Diego Simeone.
By December 21, the defender had racked up an incredible six assists (as many as Real Madrid's Gareth Bale this season), forming a dynamic right-sided pairing with Arda Turan that was powering Atleti's attack.
But Juanfran's season has slowed in the new year, which is understandable given his workload.
Indeed, the Spain international has started 26 of his team's 28 games in La Liga, has started all eight in the Champions League, played in three of the four Copa del Rey games against Real Madrid and Barcelona, played both legs of the Spanish Super Cup and has also taken part in Spain's European qualifying campaign.
Behind him, Jesus Gamez, in his first season at the club, has actually seen more playing time on the left side of the defence.
With both Cristian Ansaldi and Guilherme Siqueira hampered by injury—Siqueira also seems to lack the trust of Simeone—the former Malaga defender has often played as a makeshift left-back, which, naturally, has hampered his effectiveness.
Left-Backs
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The left-back position has been a problem area for Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone this season.
Having lost Filipe Luis to Chelsea, Atleti's attempts to replace the Brazilian haven't worked as well as they would have liked, with the on-loan Cristian Ansaldi unseen since November due to injury and Guilherme Siqueira suffering both form and injury issues.
Of course, it's Siqueira who's the greater concern, given that the club spent €10 million to bring the 28-year-old to the Vicente Calderon from Granada.
In the early part of the season, the attacking left-back looked unsure defensively and didn't appear to hold the faith of his manager. And despite an impressive display in the 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid that, at the time, appeared to be a turning point for Siqueira, that theme has continued to exist for the full-back.
It's meant right-back Jesus Gamez has spent time being a makeshift option on the left—hardly the situation Atleti would have wanted.
Centre-Backs
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There's an odd contradiction to Atletico Madrid's central defenders this season.
Forming the foundation of Diego Simeone's XI, Diego Godin has once again been supreme. Alongside him, Miranda has enjoyed a number of outstanding games, too. And backing them up, Jose Gimenez has shown himself to be one of the finest young defensive talents in Europe.
But strangely, as a group, a collective, they haven't been as tight as they were last season.
In 2013-14, Atleti conceded just 26 goals in 38 La Liga games. This season, with 10 games still to go, they've already conceded 23.
In part, that's been due to the way Simeone has altered his team's approach in 2014-15, utilising a higher defensive line with more inherent risk to cater for Mario Mandzukic, who can't lead counter-attacks the way Diego Costa could.
But it's also due to an undisciplined streak that's been seen in the current campaign: Both Godin and Miranda have racked up yellow cards in La Liga, the Brazilian saw red against Espanyol and the Uruguayan has missed critical games in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
It's meant Gimenez has come into the XI to replace one of the two senior centre-backs at regular intervals, consistently seeing Atleti field an altered centre-back pairing from game to game.
As such, there's a continuity that's been lacking at the back somewhat, hampering the team's defence slightly despite the fact that the players, individually, are still putting together fine seasons.
Central/Holding Midfielders
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During Atletico Madrid's rather barren, six-game run that was halted by the victory over Bayer Leverkusen, it became obvious that Diego Simeone's midfield needs freshening up. Particularly centrally.
Against Celta Vigo, Sevilla, Valencia and in the first leg of the Champions League tie with Leverkusen, veterans Gabi and Tiago were completely overrun, not allowing Atleti to establish a sense of control in the middle and dictate the contests.
Without Diego Costa leading the line and operating as a one-man counter-attack, that midfield deficiency has hampered Los Colchoneros' attack, with a lack of possession and midfield dominance cutting the number of chances for Mario Mandzukic.
Tellingly, the slightly younger and fresher legs of Mario Suarez have made a difference. In the second leg of the clash with Leverkusen, the Spaniard gave Simeone considerably more intensity in central areas and helped sway the balance toward Atletico in a heated affair.
For Simeone, it's becoming quite clear that Gabi and Tiago are struggling to maintain last season's high standards, particularly when his team have both domestic and European duties spaced only a few days apart.
Therefore, we can expect to see a little more squad rotation in such scenarios from now on, with the on-loan Cani likely to see more playing time as a result.
Attacking Midfielders
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Atletico Madrid don't have a significant number of options in the attacking midfield positions, but the club is fortunate that the two such players it does have are absolutely outstanding.
Comfortably among Atleti's top handful, Koke and Arda Turan continue to be the driving force of this team, combining passing vision, creativity and an industrious productivity in a manner their team-mates can't replicate.
Naturally, Koke was sorely missed in the weeks that followed the drubbing of Real Madrid, with Atleti's midfield simply understrength as he recovered from a hamstring injury. Since his return, his impact has been immediate, scoring against Valencia, providing an assist in the game against Getafe and enjoying a standout performance against Bayer Leverkusen when deployed more centrally than normal.
Turan, meanwhile, continues to thrive on the right side of the midfield, operating as his team's standout technician and continuing to carve out chance after chance for his forwards in open play.
Impressively, too, the Turk, who's so often substituted in second halves, completed all 120 minutes against Leverkusen in the Champions League with trademark ferocity, showcasing a level of stamina that many had thought he lacked.
Forwards
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From December through late February, the strike partnership between Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann was truly flourishing at the Vicente Calderon.
With the Croatian operating as a supreme target man and the former Real Sociedad star deployed as a roaming, secondary striker at his feet, the pair raced to 37 goals between them by the conclusion of the victory over Almeria on February 21.
But, coinciding with a slump from the team's midfield, it's dried up a little for Mandzukic and Griezmann since, with both men scoreless since that clash with the Andalusians.
For the Frenchman, it's looked to be a case of fatigue—something that appeared to be reinforced when he was withdrawn from the starting XI for the win over Getafe.
Mandzukic, meanwhile, had his season interrupted when he was benched for the games against Sevilla and Valencia, following reports of a rift between himself and Diego Simeone.
Backing up that pair, Fernando Torres ended his search for a league goal against Getafe and has consistently looked lively when used by Simeone, while Raul Jimenez put together his best display of the season against Pablo Franco's men and can hold onto hope of seeing more playing time in the season's closing stretch.
Manager
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Though Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid has slipped a little in 2014-15, that's to be expected in what is a transitional year for a club that has seen significant changes in both personnel and playing style this season.
Despite the turnover, the Argentinian has managed to instill his ferocity and work ethic into new faces such as Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic, the former truly blossoming under his tutelage at the Vicente Calderon.
Simeone has also guided his team into the Champions League quarter-finals once more, has steered his side to an emphatic record this season over Real Madrid (four wins, two draws), has lifted the Spanish Super Cup and looks well-placed to secure another Champions League berth for Atleti in 2015-16.
The only obvious drawback to the manager's style is the way he and his team often push past the boundaries of competitiveness and physicality to slip into periods of poor discipline and heated impulsiveness—reflected by the team's red- and yellow-card tallies this season and Simeone's long ban from the sideline at the beginning of the campaign.
But under the Argentinian, Atletico continue to grow, and few other managers can lay claim to being the sort of motivator and leader that Simeone is.
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