Atletico Madrid's Style Clash Must Be Resolved After Deportivo Draw

Atletico Madrid are on the precipice. They've bought a ticket to the edge, now all they have to do is jump in.

But it's scary for Diego Simeone, who has built so much of his success at the club on the world outside the pit, scrapping in the barren wasteland and overcoming most opposition with a mixture of strength and cunning.

And in the pit? A world of attacking football, played out on lush greenery.

Atletico want that; it's evident in their signings. They now have a vast array of attacking talent, from Antoine Griezmann to Jackson Martinez, Luciano Vietto to Angel Correa, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco to Fernando Torres.

Of course, the ideal team wouldn't be from either the wasteland or the pit but from both. And Atletico are in an ideal position to do that. Drawing on their knowledge of struggle, battle and sacrifice but adding flair and technique, they want to create a team that can thrive in any circumstance.

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In principle, it's a great idea. But in practice, it doesn't seem to be working.

It will take time, obviously, to implement a complex strategy like this. And in Carrasco, they seem to have found a player who seems to be able to fit both methods.

The Belgian has been their finest player in recent weeks and is thriving and growing with every minute played. From out wide he harried and probed against Deportivo de la Coruna on Friday night and helped create Atletico's goal scored by Tiago.

He was substituted, presumably only to keep him fresh for the Champions League clash with Astana on Tuesday night, but the team then proceeded to throw away their lead.

Lucas Perez struck after a Jose Gimenez error and the score ended up 1-1; a deserved point for the hosts and a chance to go top of the league blown by Atletico.

The main issue was Simeone didn't want to go forward and kill the game off when Atletico were winning 1-0. In previous seasons, that would have been okay. A reasonable decision by the coach.

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But with the current squad he has, Atletico are capable of managing that. He took Carrasco off and put Correa on. One creative, attacking talent for another.

The right thing to do would have been to introduce Correa while Carrasco was still on the pitch and unbalance Deportivo, to take advantage of a team that had started going forward to look for the equaliser.

To have an open game like that is anathema to Simeone, who wants to keep encounters micro-managed and tight. But to take the step to the next level, Atletico must take more risks in situations like this and trust the talented players they have.

The Argentine coach will argue that on this occasion his plan would have worked but for a bizarre personal error by Gimenez. The defender dallied on the ball by the edge of his own box, was robbed and paid the price.

Of course, in classic Simeone style, he refused to single out the Uruguayan, saying, per Sport: "Anyone who plays knows this could happen. The second half was about more than one moment."

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At the moment, the team's two styles are clashing, rather than blending.

In some games, like the Benfica home clash, Atletico played good attacking football and ended up losing. It was harsh on the team and possibly has prejudiced Simeone against trying to repeat the feat.

Further evidence the coach will notice is how when they resorted to their gritty, grinding tactics, they earned a draw against Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderon, despite being a goal down.

Simeone has won La Liga with Atletico, an incredible feat considering the strength of Barcelona and Real Madrid, so it's understandable that he has some dedication to the style of football with which he won it.

But the quicker he can get Atletico's new attacking vibes to blend, rather than contrast, with their old durability and work rate, the better.