Youthful Atletico Madrid Take Step Along Evolutionary Curve Against Sagan Tosu

They were the words Diego Simeone had been waiting to say.

"I leave happy because the team is growing," he said at a news conference Saturday, his Atletico Madrid side having walked away with a penalty-shootout victory over Sagan Tosu in Japan. 

Atleti's Far East performance wasn't exactly scintillating, one of Europe's emerging powers held to a 1-1 stalemate in normal time by a middle-of-the-pack J-League outfit. Yet raw facts aside, the essence of Los Colchoneros' display was encouraging, the outing giving a glimpse into how Simeone's new-look Atleti are evolving. 

All summer, the Argentinian has discussed the need for an internal shift to unfold at the Vicente Calderon. He's spoken of the necessity of a "new stimulus," challenging his players to "reinvent themselves." 

Essentially, Simeone wants to oversee an evolution period in which Atleti take a collective step forward in style, embracing a more dynamic method while remaining true to the club's identity. On Saturday, we saw the first stages in that process. 

Behind veteran striker Fernando Torres, Simeone started a midfield consisting of Koke, Saul Niguez, Yannick Carrasco, Oliver Torres and Raul Garcia, four of the five men 23 years of age or under. Though in theory it was the manager's characteristic 4-4-2, the system effectively functioned as a 4-1-4-1, Saul slightly withdrawn from a line of four that centred around Koke and Oliver. 

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The result was the sort of Atleti we've rarely seen recently. Young, exuberant, stacked with technical quality, Simeone's men were intricate and daring. Instead of employing a direct and forceful method, the visitors were happy to play pass after pass, using one-twos, flicks, backheels and one-touch balls. 

Oliver was particularly impressive on the left side of the central pairing, his deft touches and incisive passes allowing him to link up seamlessly with Carrasco and the free-wheeling Guilherme Siqueira. The young Spaniard—a player whose role at the club was far from certain when he returned from a loan spell at Porto—appears emblematic of Atleti's desire for a shift in style; Simeone is now seemingly prepared to use more technical, smaller-bodied midfielders to drive an increasingly fluent approach. 

In the second half, we then witnessed another aspect in Atletico's evolution: the use of a vastly different tactical system. 

Whereas Simeone has rarely budged from his extremely robust and reliable 4-4-2, "Cholo" changed his team's shape to an attack-minded 4-3-3 after the interval. With Antoine Griezmann, Luciano Vietto and Angel Correa all coming on, Atleti fielded a lineup defined by its front three—a front three of pace, mobility and positional fluidity. 

Somewhat surprisingly, the trio couldn't add to Koke's first-half opener, but scoring chances were aplenty. Vietto and Correa in particular showcased a neat understanding that defied their short time together.

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"We played some good stuff on the wings and through the middle," Simeone said of the performance, according to F.J. Diaz of AS. "With Griezmann, Vietto and Correa, we created goalscoring chances."

The Argentinian was also quick to point out the abundance of talent at his disposal, noting the tactical flexibility such a commodity affords his side, according to Diaz: 

"

We're looking for different approaches: we play with 4-4-2 and with 4-3-3. ...

We know that with Vietto, Correa, Oliver and Carrasco the team can improve. They need to take us to the next level. They need to keep working on the tactical part, but they'll never lose their talent. "That talent is what we need to win games.

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Evidently, Atletico Madrid are changing. During Simeone's tenure, Los Colchoneros have been defined by their will, ferocity and dedication to the cause. They've always packed quality at the same time, yes, but it has never been their outstanding trait—until now. 

The precocious group of Koke, Saul, Oliver, Carrasco, Correa and Griezmann will steadily drive a shift at the Vicente Calderon, complementing the experience of Diego Godin, Juanfran, Jackson Martinez, Gabi and Tiago to give Atleti a new edge, a new dimension. 

In the books, Saturday's game will be quickly forgotten. But for Atletico Madrid, it was significant. It marks the beginning of something new—the first steps along the evolutionary curve.