Atletico's Saul Is Real Madrid's Nemesis and One of Their Biggest Mistakes

Atletico Madrid's 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday confirmed their superiority, in direct terms and in La Liga positions, over Real Madrid.

The match wasn't full of goalmouth chances and spellbinding creativity but instead a perfectly executed game plan by Diego Simeone's men as they won the midfield battle, fashioned enough chances to score and then defended exceptionally well to take the points.

Key to a lot of their tactical work, both in the 90 minutes of the derby and over the last few months as a whole, has been Saul Niguez, the midfield workhorse who has blended supreme physicality with an excellent technical skill set to help down Real Madrid more than once over the last couple of seasons—and all this after the white half of the city had him on their books as a young player.

Allowing him to depart has been hugely expensive for Real as things turn out, and Atleti are reaping the benefits.

El Derbi

Saul has come to typify everything good about Diego Simeone's Atletico side and show up, by stark contrast, everything Real Madrid are doing badly. 

His work rate, willingness to sacrifice himself for the team and capacity to make an impact going forward are almost unparalleled, while the consistency he has shown over the middle third of the season has been close to immaculate.

Last season. in the unforgettable 4-0 triumph over Real at the Vicente Calderon, Saul came off the bench early on to replace the injured Koke.

Within 10 minutes of his entrance, Saul had won the ball in midfield, passed forward, ran from inside his own half to the Real penalty box and scored an overhead kick—then went on to put in an outrageously good display, picking up an assist for the third goal before being subbed himself, injured.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

This most recent matchup with Real saw him as part of Atleti's impenetrable midfield four, pushing and pressing Real back at every opportunity, outworking their rivals and then springing forward when the chance was there. Saul was key to that latter point too, being one of Atleti's most capable midfielders at combining in both halves of the pitch and having the capacity to get back into position if possession was lost.

Saul covered more ground than anyone on the pitch, 13.08 kilometres, according to Marca (Gabi and Koke were next at 12.26 and 12.25 km respectively).

He played extremely well and worked the hardest—and perhaps has had the motivation to do so all along.

Raul in Reverse

It's well known that Real Madrid legend Raul was at Atletico Madrid as a youngster before the club shut its academy and he moved to La Fabrica.

Saul can hardly be compared to Raul at this stage, but the indications are there that he could go on to achieve such a standing in the game that he'll be considered among the top midfield talents of his generation, which is saying plenty. Still, there's a mirror image to Raul here: Saul moved from Elche to Real Madrid at age 11, spending a year with the club before opting to head to Atletico instead.

He recently discussed the move in El Mundo (h/t Marca), saying that off-pitch happenings had an impact on his decision to depart La Fabrica and that he never doubted he'd make it elsewhere: "I always had plenty of self-belief as a kid. I knew it wasn't the end of the world when I left Real Madrid and that I would play anywhere I could. I just wanted to have fun."

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Saul is certainly having fun in the Atleti side, starting the last 14 games in a row in La Liga—filling four positions and six roles along the way—and being the side's second-top goalscorer in all competitions this season.

So far, he racks up a goal or assist every 272 minutes for Atleti—which compares rather favourably to Luka Modric (409) and Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic (331). Those are selective names, of course, but it's still indicative of Saul's impact for Los Rojiblancos and of what Real Madrid have missed out on.

Euro 2016?

It's not a coincidence Saul was linked with a move away during the January transfer window. An utterly complete midfielder who can also play in defence or in attack, such is the range of his talents, he would be welcome in most squads on the European stage. Saul allows Atletico to change the flow and balance of their game without having to make a substitution.

Simeone can move from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 with ease by altering Saul's position, along with Antoine Griezmann's, while the actual role employed in the game by the 21-year-old Spaniard can switch from holding in front of the defence to supporting the striker with powerful, surging runs and a surprising turn of pace.

With such fantastic versatility not compromising his output, there is a growing possibility Saul, uncapped at senior international level, must be in Vicente del Bosque's thoughts for the Spain squad at Euro 2016. They face Italy in a friendly in March, and Saul's form surely puts him in the running for a call-up—which he did receive in the summer for a game against Costa Rica.

Sergio Camacho/Getty Images

Naturally, it is hugely competitive for a midfield spot in Spain's squad, and many are already nailed down, but there is no absolute guarantee of the name who flies as Sergio Busquets' back-up for the holding role.

Ignacio Camacho, Mikel San Jose and one or two others have been called upon from game to game, but Saul is a more complete player than either of those and offers more options to fill in elsewhere. For a tournament squad with limited space, he's a perfect option for Spain and has been better this season than team-mate Koke, who is usually included.

Saul was already a part of Atleti's side before the campaign, but the past three months have seen him surge into undroppable territory for one of La Liga's best teams, and there's plenty of progression ahead to be enjoyed—just not by Real Madrid.

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