Atletico Madrid vs. Cadiz: Things Learned from Pre-Season Friendly

Atletico Madrid progressed to the final of the 2015 Carranza Trophy on Friday, scraping past Cadiz on penalties after a scoreless draw at the Estadio Ramon de Carranza. 

In the final stages of Atleti's pre-season campaign, the performance was a rather flat one from Diego Simeone's men, who would have expected to overwhelm their opponents from the Segunda Division B—the regionalised third tier of Spanish football. 

Instead, Simeone's experimental lineup featuring unfamiliar faces such as Nacho Monsalve, Lucas Hernandez, Ivan Perez and Thomas was unable to breakdown the well-organised hosts, who forced the game to a shootout where two saves from Miguel Angel Moya sent Atleti through to face Real Betis on Saturday. 

Across the following slides, we take a look at what we learned from Friday's clash.

We're Going to See a Much Bolder Atletico in 2015-16

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Though Atletico Madrid failed to score against Cadiz on Friday, there were some notable changes in how they set up. 

Typically, Diego Simeone's sides have always been compact, the back four always connected and never inclined to gamble. But here, the positioning of right-back Jesus Gamez was very different to what we've grown accustomed to, the Spaniard consistently hovering beyond the halfway line to act as a right-sided attacking outlet. Essentially, Gamez spent much of the night looking like a winger. 

To compensate, we saw Atleti's centre-backs splitting far more than usual, with holding midfielder Gabi regularly dropping back between the pair to balance the system.

From Simeone's sides, we've rarely seen such an approach, but it's consistent with the messages that have emanated from the Vicente Calderon this summer, Simeone having expressed a desire for his players to "reinvent" themselves as he introduces a "new stimulus."

Essentially, Atleti are attempting to introduce a faster, more fluid method in possession, and it looks as though marauding full-backs will be part of that, giving Atleti a numerical advantage out wide as they strive to become a greater attacking force.

Raul Garcia Will Struggle for Playing Time This Season

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In the absence of stars such as Jackson Martinez, Antoine Griezmann and Koke, Raul Garcia was awarded a start against Cadiz on Friday, lining up on the right of Diego Simeone's system that seemed to switch between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2. 

For the 29-year-old, it was an important opportunity, given that competition is now fierce at the Vicente Calderon both in midfield and in attack. But in a team looking to adopt a new method based around faster ball movement and quicker interchanges, Garcia looked like an awkward fit and was ineffective, Atleti's best moments coming when they attacked down the left instead. 

It wasn't entirely surprising, either. For Garcia is very much representative of the Atleti that Simeone wants to move away from. Feisty, physical, combative and an aerial threat, the versatile attacker has essentially been the on-field embodiment of his manager, an obvious example of the essence this club has carried. 

But the shift in style that's occurring at Atletico is likely to push Garcia to the fringes, given that the technically superior Griezmann, Koke, Saul Niguez, Oliver Torres, Yannick Carrasco and Luciano Vietto are going to lead Atleti's evolution.

Thomas Could Be a Surprise Packet This Season

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Undoubtedly among the most notable performances in Cadiz on Friday night came from holding midfielder, Thomas. 

An Atletico Madrid youth product, the Ghanaian has spent the last two seasons out on loan at Mallorca and Almeria, and the latter of those proved to be a successful stop as he became one of the standouts in a team that really struggled. 

Still, though, his future has felt uncertain this summer, given that Diego Simeone has a long list of midfielders to call upon this season, particularly after recalling Oliver Torres from Porto. But after Friday's performance, Thomas looks like a valuable asset for Atleti and could be a surprise packet in 2015-16. 

From his position at the base of the midfield, the 22-year-old consistently broke up attacking moves from Cadiz with his strong defensive skills, also using his athleticism and running power to push forward and carry the ball at pace.

Later on, he then showcased his versatility, moving into defence after Simeone rejigged the lineup in the second half.

Saul Niguez Is Poised for a Breakout Season

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Amid the shift in style that's taking place at Atletico Madrid, Saul Niguez was also going to enjoy a more prominent role than the one he's played so far at the Vicente Calderon. 

A versatile, multi-skilled midfielder who can play both as a central anchor and as an attack-minded creator, the young Spaniard has long been considered among the brightest talents in La Liga. And even though it was just a second-half cameo, Friday's performance gave a glimpse into how influential Saul may become in 2015-16. 

Indeed, after a rather stagnant opening half in which the visitors created little, Saul's introduction after the break immediately saw Atleti pose more questions of Cadiz. 

Quicker to release the ball and capable of hitting passes that Thomas, Gabi and Raul Garcia don't have in the locker, Saul began to open up the home side, a couple of delightful, outside-of-the-boot chips to Luciano Vietto and Angel Correa standing out in particular. Vietto probably should have scored from the first, too. 

It was extremely impressive from Saul, suggesting he's poised for a breakout season.