Should Atletico Madrid Stick or Twist with Striker Fernando Torres?

Atletico Madrid's excellent season to date has relied heavily on their defensive resilience as usual, but it has also shown an inclination to move toward a more aggressive manner of attacking in the final third. Atleti are countering from higher up the field and making use of the talented young forwards they have.

While Antoine Griezmann is, of course, central to that, the likes of Yannick Carrasco and Angel Correa have also contributed, while Luciano Vietto is showing greater signs of late that he will too be a very impressive addition.

In among those younger talents, Fernando Torres continues to play a support role as the experienced head of the attack, whether starting or coming on as sub—but it'll soon be time to decide whether to keep him on further or let his second spell at the club end in the summer.

Eighteen Months

A year-and-a-half loan at Atleti was arranged for Torres on the back of his poor spell with AC Milan, for whom he signed permanently just prior to moving back to the Vicente Calderon.

In the second half of last season, he was used as an irregular starter and an impact sub, whipping the crowd up into a frenzy with his first few entrances and then again, later, when he found the back of the net on several memorable occasions—including against Barcelona and Real Madrid.

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He has played a timeshare role with Jackson Martinez for much of the season, and his all-round play has been exceptional: Torres is aggressive, quick to close teams down, looks to embark on long-range dribbles when possible and shows tremendously intelligent movement inside the penalty box. His first touch is, by and large, passable, and he combines well with the likes of Correa and Griezmann moving off him.

But there is, of course, a flaw to his game: His finishing has been a letdown, nowhere near the deadly laser-sight of old. His two strikes earlier in the campaign—against Barcelona and Eibar—have been left waiting for three months to be added to, leaving Torres frustratingly marooned on 99 club goals for Atleti.

He still has months to go, so it's not a huge issue, and he's contributing in other ways. On this season's evidence alone, there is reason to keep Torres around. If he could just add a few more goals, there'd be no doubt whatsoever, despite his wages, age and competition for places.

According to Football Espana, Diego Simeone has already said that he will evaluate Torres as a player for the club, not an icon, and that's how he'll need to impress.

Cerci Problem

The other side of the Torres deal saw Alessio Cerci, an absolute flop in his six months at Atletico, move the other way.

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He hasn't done much better at Milan, either: no goals and one assist in 13 appearances this season, totalling barely 700 minutes. For comparison, young impact sub M'Baye Niang has three goals in six games (less than 500 minutes) and first-choice striker Carlos Bacca has seven in 17, playing well over 1,300 minutes.

Milan may not want to keep Cerci and Atleti won't want him back, which may complicate any extension of Torres' deal at the Calderon.

Guidance

Atletico's squad is tenacious and talented and can challenge for trophies this year and beyond, but they are a very young squad in the main.

For both in-game knowhow and as an example on conduct and professionalism, Torres is one of the pillars of the club who can play a much more vital role than merely his on-field contributions, along with the likes of Tiago and Diego Godin.

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With Jackson Martinez misfiring, there's no guarantee that the Colombian will be at the club next year if Atleti try to recoup money from that signing, so retaining an experienced member of the squad in attack will be even more pivotal.

Torres might not be the man to plunder 15 or 20 a season any more, but he brings plenty to the team when called upon and still has a significant role to play going forward; Atleti should be looking to keep him on board—if a new deal can be struck in a viable manner for their finances.

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