Why Luciano Vietto Will Be Atletico Madrid's X-Factor in 2nd Half of Season

Atletico Madrid still find themselves in a fantastic position heading into the second half of the season, challenging for honours both at home and in continental competition.

In second place in La Liga before heading to leaders Barcelona on Saturday, ahead in the two-legged Copa del Rey quarter-final and with a reasonably favourable draw in the Champions League, optimism will be rife among supporters and club staff alike that they can have a big impact in major competitions this term.

As well as the defensive resilience shown in the first half of the campaign, Atleti will need their attack to step up somewhat more in the coming months if that is to happen—and forward Luciano Vietto is starting to show signs that he can be the one to make the difference in the front line.

Acclimatisation

Vietto, like Angel Correa and Yannick Carrasco, has been gradually eased into the starting XI by manager Diego Simeone, starting the season on the bench and seeing game time irregularly until injuries or poor form to others—Jackson Martinez, in Vietto's case—warranted chances being taken.

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Even at this point, Vietto has only totalled 875 minutes of game time for Los Rojiblancos this season; contrasted with Jackson's 1,051 or 2,423 for Antoine Griezmann, the Argentinian's status as third-choice is obvious.

Fernando Torres has time-shared with Jackson, rather than being a block on Vietto's appearances, and he has also been injured while Vietto has been available and vice versa.

At this point, Vietto has made 12 Liga appearances which make up 564 minutes—but around 360 minutes of that has come in December and January alone.

It is now that he has begun to make a case for inclusion on a more regular basis, and with his work rate and gradual improvement, Simeone has continually picked him of late.

Improvement

Vietto certainly hasn't been anywhere near his clinical best, but compared to the start of the season when his touch was all over the place, he wasn't sharp with his movement and could barely pass a few yards without giving the ball away, he's at least on an upward trajectory.

His illness and resulting surgery in October were badly timed, having just opened his account with a critical late equaliser against Real Madrid, but Vietto's performances since then are indicative of being more confident and comfortable at the club, as well as being healthier.

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Link-up play now flows more freely through the forward, whether leading the line alone or as a pairing, although he still doesn't appear as aggressive as he needs to be at times—but his time at Villarreal showed that this can be the case.

If Jackson doesn't rediscover his top level, Vietto goes almost head-to-head with Correa to be the youthful spark of energy and influence that Atletico's attack needs, and it's Vietto's goalscoring which needs to be added to his recent improvement to give him the edge. The Camp Nou wouldn't be a bad place to start.

4-3-3

In terms of Atletico's tactical plans, Simeone has more and more frequently turned to a 4-3-3 setup on the pitch rather than 4-4-2, or else flitting between the two during a game.

With Vietto as the front man, Atleti get better pace in the wide areas from Griezmann and, especially, Carrasco. They are both prone to cutting inside, dribbling and then passing or looking to combine play and get a shot away—and Vietto is the best foil at the club for that type of build-up, laying off one-touch return passes and then attacking the box as a secondary forward.

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The Argentinian also shows good movement inside the area to peel away and make runs behind the opposition defence to provide a diagonal through-pass opportunity; it's not often the type of run which will see Vietto himself score, but it can get him into dangerous areas to provide chances for others.

Vietto's combinations with Griezmann in particular recently have been more impressive and that, as far as Atletico's attack is concerned, is the best route into the first team.

Griezmann is quality and Atleti have all-round ability to win titles, but they need an additional and unexpected spark from one of their attackers to improve and make them a more clinical side overall.

Vietto is showing both the confidence and the tactical application necessary to be that player between now and May.

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