3 Atletico Madrid Players to Watch During Pre-Season
Atletico Madrid's pre-season campaign kicks off against Numancia on July 25, and Diego Simeone's team will also take on the likes of Sagan Tosu of Japan and Shanghai SIPG during a tour of Asia as they prepare for the 2015-16 Liga campaign, which begins in late August with a home match against newly promoted Las Palmas.
With several changes already to the first-team squad and more certain to occur before the big kick-off, we'll be seeing a new-look side and potentially a slightly altered, more offensive style from the 2014 Liga winners.
An intriguing side to observe under Simeone and always one capable of going the distance in any competition, Atleti certainly will bear watching again this term. In this piece, we've picked out three players to keep a close eye on during the summer in anticipation of their contribution over the course of the upcoming season.
Oliver Torres
A big success at FC Porto on loan last year, Oliver clocked up almost 3,000 minutes of action for the Portuguese runners-up and looks very much ready to play a part for Atleti this term.
The big question will be where he fits into the side; normally considered a No. 10 playmaker, Atletico don't really start with that type of role in the team under Simeone, and it seems more likely he could be a replacement for Arda Turan, starting from the right of the midfield quartet but with plenty of licence to roam infield.
He has creativity and a goalscoring threat in almost equal measure, and if he applies the work rate and industry that is expected as standard to get into the Atletico side, he could prove a massive re-addition the squad.
Oliver played a handful of games for Atletico two seasons back but only made two league starts that year, mainly used as a young, impactful option off the bench. With a strong showing in pre-season, that right side could be, at worst, a position he fights for regularly—at best, it could be entirely his own.
Angel Correa
Argentinian forward Angel Correa signed for Atletico Madrid last summer, but he needed a heart operation that meant he couldn't actually join the club until December. That largely meant no club football last season, but the highly rated 20-year-old is well thought of by the club and was involved with the senior squad in their first pre-season session of the summer, along with the likes of Raul Garcia, captain Gabi and new signing Luciano Vietto.
Correa typically played up front for former club San Lorenzo, but he can also feature in a more withdrawn role or from the flanks, using his pace and direct movement to be a threat on goal.
While his versatility and that ability to play from wide might be seen as something that can improve his chances of getting minutes on the pitch, Atleti's wide players are much more "midfielders" than "forwards"—they don't play three across the top regularly, for example, so it's unlikely that the team would see the best of Correa's attacking play if he did play from wide.
That said, pre-season is for trying out new ideas, positions or personnel, so there's no reason why he shouldn't get the chance to impress in at least a couple of positions.
Competition is fierce up top with Vietto, Jackson Martinez, Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres all established, while Raul Jimenez is also still at the club for now. The chances are slim that he'll break through as a striker this season, so a loan spell may be in order...but for fitness and quality reasons, he certainly bears watching this summer regardless.
Jan Oblak vs. Miguel Angel Moya
We've snuck two players in our last section, but it's for one position—the goalkeeper.
Jan Oblak and Miguel Angel Moya both arrived last summer, the former for €16 million and the latter for just €3 million—but Oblak's injury meant Moya started as No. 1 and stayed in place through good performances until March. Then the switch occurred: Moya injured, Oblak in place. His form was excellent, and he showed his huge capabilities; the suspicion must be that he will start this season as No. 1 now.
Even so, Diego Simeone has shown throughout his time that he will hand the starting chance to whoever plays best and is most aligned with his ideals, and then the spot belongs to that player until injury or poor form dictate otherwise.
Moya will have to be at his best to win back the spot, but that should only produce even more good-natured competition between the two and spur Oblak on to his own best form—which is immense indeed. The battle for the goalkeeper spot shows Atleti's strength in depth and could be one of their biggest virtues of the upcoming season as they look for success on all fronts.
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