Why Koke Is Absolutely Pivotal to Atletico Madrid's Chances in 2015/16
Atletico Madrid have begun their new Liga season with a win and now face two key fixtures against top-four rivals in Sevilla and Barcelona.
Indeed, while Sevilla represent a big threat as a top-four prospect this season, Atleti themselves will be more concerned with challenging Barca for the league title itself. To reasonably aim to be successful in this greatest of challenges, Atletico will need all of their star performers to be fit and in form as frequently as possible, with midfielder Koke central in that necessity.
The 23-year-old Spaniard is a key component of Diego Simeone's team, and his ability to influence play for Los Colchoneros will be fundamental to any success Atleti enjoy.
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Consistency
Simeone's style demands offensive and defensive capabilities from every member of the XI, from the strikers tracking back into the channels to the goalkeeper being able to distribute quickly to set up counter-attacking opportunities. It isn't just the midfielders who must work hard and cover much of the pitch, the entire side must work as a unit.
To cope with such rigours over a whole season, Simeone has needed his top names right at the height of their performances every week; the title-winning season saw the likes of Gabi, Diego Costa, Diego Godin and Filipe Luis all playing to an extremely high level, week in, week out.
Now, it's a similar theme, but the names have changed. Godin remains, Antoine Griezmann has become a complete and consistent forward and Koke—along with Tiago—is the consistent man in the middle.
It is rare indeed that Koke doesn't put in a performance that shows his control of the game, helping his side maintain position as well as possession, while he keeps things running smoothly between middle and final thirds.
With new signings and talented youngsters in the squad this term, he's no longer one of maybe only two players who can keep doing that, but he is one who will do it every time he takes the field. Others haven't yet proved they can have that impact at Atleti.
Creativity
Nominally the left-sided midfielder in Simeone's quartet, Koke rarely sticks to the flank, instead sitting in the channel to receive possession and moving into the centre whenever space is there to drift and dictate play.
His vision in making a through pass to the forwards is extremely good, and it is no surprise that Simeone wants to shift him toward a more central role this term. Koke is, perhaps after Oliver Torres, the most comfortable player in possession that Atleti have in their squad, and although he isn't a typically flashy dribbler, he can still create room to manoeuvre by beating a man.
A strong character as much as a fairly physically imposing player, Koke will, when finally moved central for good, take the Atletico team up another notch. Even continuing to play from the left at the start of this term, however, he can affect play in a very positive way, in and out of possession.
Set Pieces
It's no secret that part of Atletico's success is their tendency to regard set pieces as a big opportunity to add to their goals tally. While Koke can certainly offer more in the scoring department than he has managed so far, his free-kick and corner delivery is absolutely on point.
He managed double figures in Liga assists last term and Atleti as a whole managed 30 goals off set pieces in La Liga during 2014/15—a full 10 clear of the next best team, per WhoScored.com. Those goals inevitably add up to additional points, especially in previous seasons when Atleti did not have the depth in attack that they possess this season.
The opening game saw them beat Las Palmas 1-0 thanks to a Griezmann free-kick, while Koke himself also hit the post direct from another dead ball.
The complete range of skills that Koke possesses makes him such a natural fit for this team and the way they play, while Simeone of course also opts to build his team around certain players' profiles—Koke being one of them. The two go hand-in-hand, and if Atleti are to go on and make this another special season, Koke is going to be both one of the reasons they do so and one of the individual standouts.
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