Atletico Madrid Praying for Koke's Resurrection Following Injury Absence
Atletico Madrid's results over the few weeks before the international break were a little disappointing, with Diego Simeone's team not winning any of their last three in all competitions.
There were, of course, mitigating circumstances for not taking wins; table-toppers Villarreal are in great form, a Champions League match is always a tough fixture and the Madrid derby speaks for itself—but even aside from the opposition, Atleti's own players haven't all yet hit top form this season.
One such player is Koke, a key midfielder in the usual scheme of things at the club, but one who hasn't shown anywhere near his best level yet, and missed the last three La Liga matches—and the Spanish national team's Euro 2016 qualifiers—through a hamstring injury.
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Now back to fitness and ready to partake, the 23-year-old can be the catalyst for Atleti's improvement if Simeone lets him off the leash.
Despite the promise of moving centrally in midfield over summer, Koke began the new campaign once more on the left of the quartet.
The early weeks saw him struggle to heavily influence Atletico's play, scoring against Sevilla thanks to a rare break into the penalty area and working hard as usual off the ball, but certainly nowhere near his best in terms of creativity or setting the rhythm for moving the ball from the middle to final thirds.
Meanwhile, Gabi started the season looking fired up and impressive in the centre—but that lasted all of two weeks before last season's inconsistency on the ball, mistimed tackles and a general lack of direction in midfield resurfaced, following a late error in possession to gift Barcelona a victory.
When the protective base that the team is built from isn't in place, Atletico's subsequent control of the game and attacking movement also struggles in turn.
A return to fitness and form for Koke not only brings a better level of protection to the back line, it also boosts the service to those in attack immeasurably, while Antoine Griezmann would be freed to move higher upfield again and affect play inside the penalty box.
In the middle third, he offers a constant outlet by being one of the players—along with Tiago—most capable and willing to take possession at any moment, and most adept at using the ball with purpose.
One of the questions for Simeone to answer now is whether the time is right to shift Koke infield. AS report that's exactly what the boss might be reconsidering for the weekend game against Real Sociedad, claiming that the Argentinian told his midfielder he was to be "the Xavi of Atletico" back in preseason.
That hasn't yet happened, but with Matias Kranevitter still months away from joining and Gabi struggling, perhaps it's the logical next step for the team.
Transfer rumours also continue to circulate, with AS indicating that Chelsea are interested in taking a quartet of key Atleti figures to the Premier League: Diego Godin, Griezmann, Koke and Simeone, himself, to replace Jose Mourinho if he leaves Stamford Bridge.
It's unthinkable that such a core part of the club could all leave at once, especially with three of them having only recently signed new contracts. The team is once again rebuilding, and Koke remains central to the plans, even if not on the pitch.
Three Liga matchdays out has seen the absence of Koke give chances to other players—Saul, Yannick Carrasco and an array of forwards have all come in—but none have made absolutely sure that Simeone has to pick them again next time out. The surety, the confidence and the belief aren't quite up to their usual levels for Atletico just yet.
Whether Koke comes back into the side on the left or centrally, they'll need him to quickly find much better form than in his first few games to push the team up another level and find the consistency in results they desire.
