Saul Pushing Case for Atletico Madrid Game Time in Competitive Area of the Squad

Atletico Madrid picked up their biggest win of the season so far on Wednesday night, beating Astana in the Champions League by a 4-0 scoreline, with midfielder Saul Niguez one of the key figures throughout.

The squad depth of Atletico this season, after a busy summer of transfer activity, means the midfield zone—and particularly the two creative, slightly wider roles in their usual system—in particular has a lot of competition for places, and Saul's game time this season has been rather limited.

While one or two others have been inconsistent, though—or absent through injury in the case of Koke—Saul has put in impressive displays when called upon, and manager Diego Simeone must be feeling his starlet is making a big case to be included more frequently in the coming weeks.

Astana, Villarreal...Real Madrid

Aside from a three-minute runout as a late sub at the weekend, Saul has had a reasonably frustrating past few weeks; a brief spell of games in the team saw him perform well in the win at home to Getafe and then be arguably Atleti's best player in the defeat at Villarreal.

Starting wide in that latter game before moving central in the second half, Saul showed all his best qualities in both halves of the pitch. He showed aggression, a combative nature and good timing in the tackle when tracking back, but also a progressive nature when on the ball, with the sense to pick quick passes at times but also the vision to seek out those further upfield.

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Saul is also good at carrying the ball over distance relatively quickly, something not too many Atleti players from last year's group were adept at doing (outside of Antoine Griezmann, of course) but which seems to be almost a squad-wide trait this year.

That match at Villarreal—and indeed parts of the match against Astana on Wednesday—would have reminded fans of Saul's performance against Real Madrid last season, when he was integral to the quick-press approach and decisive inside the penalty box in a rampant 4-0 win.

"

A terrific finish as Carrasco's driven cross is beautifully back-heeled in by Saúl Ñígue. Not a bad way to open his #UCL account!

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 21, 2015"

Competitors

In the normal course of events, the two players to play either side of the central-midfield pairing will be Koke-plus-one.

Oliver Torres started the campaign in the team and thrived but naturally encountered a drop-off point soon after. Yannick Carrasco has had the reverse run: He didn't see much game time early on, but recent weeks have seen him look much more the part, and he is clearly now a viable option for Simeone as a game-changer.

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Finally, Angel Correa has also flitted in and out of the team, both up front and from the flank. His skill on the ball, fighting nature and natural inclination to get into the penalty area is again a different style to those before him.

What that all means is that Saul isn't just battling team-mates for a place, he's working against different styles. Simeone makes the decision based on what he wants from the team tactically, just as much as what each player can give him in terms of ability.

Simeone's Options

It's very difficult to judge what Atletico's best side might be once all, or at least most, players are fit and in form—and that's one of the reasons they are very real challengers for the big trophies this year. The squad is versatile, youthful, hungry for success and driven by a manager who knows what it takes to win.

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One area of his policy that hasn't yet been tested to its fullest extent, however, is his willingness to pull the main stars out of the team when required.

Sure, Atleti have lost players to transfers down the years, but the ones who have stayed—Diego Godin, Juanfran, Tiago, Koke, Gabi—remain in place on a weekly basis. Most deserve it, but the latter, the captain, has certainly seen fluctuating form.

Since he won La Liga, Gabi hasn't been able to recapture his very best form, and he was taken out, substituted, at times last season. That has already happened this year, too, but he remains a starter for the most part.

Will Koke take Gabi's place in the middle? Has Saul shown more centrally than out wide? Defensively, Saul certainly offers a counter-balance that wouldn't let Koke play to his own strengths. There's also Matias Kranevitter to consider—the Argentinian will arrive in winter and is already a part of Argentina's set-up, so much has he impressed.

Saul is one of several still trying to work his way into the team, and his performances suggest he deserves to be in more often than he has been so far. Atleti's strong point is that others can, gradually, also say the same thing—and for the team overall, that's a very encouraging point to work with for the long-term success of the side.

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