4 Atletico Madrid Players Whose Stock Tumbled in 2015/16 Season

Atletico Madrid have enjoyed an extraordinary season overall, competing for La Liga and into the final of the UEFA Champions League.

It could end in wild celebrations or utter despair, depending on how the final against Real Madrid plays out, but it's fair to say that in the context of the campaign overall, most of the players have seen their stock rise once again.

That goes double for head coach Diego Simeone, who has overseen the continuous success of the team and has brought through a new group of players to impress both domestically and in Europe.

But not everyone has impressed. There are a few who, for various reasons, have simply not hit the heights at the Vicente Calderon Stadium this season and whose stock has fallen dramatically—though perhaps none quite as low as former striker Jackson Martinez, now plying his trade in the Chinese Super League.

Luciano Vietto

The first and most obvious is Luciano Vietto, who has been a victim of early overhype as much as anything else.

At the beginning of the campaign we warned that he wasn't the finished product and would only play a rotation part at Atletico in his first season, but even that has ultimately overstated Vietto's contribution.

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A fine link player outside the box and a willing runner, Vietto's problems have been that Atleti required him to produce the goods inside the penalty area, where he has struggled.

Only one league goal all season wasn't enough, and the emergence of Angel Correa pushed the 22-year-old down the pecking order.

He must be wondering whether he'll even be at the club next season; Atletico don't mind moving players on quickly if they don't fit, and though Vietto has the talent to come back and improve, he might get left behind from this group of players.

A loan might suit all parties.

Miguel Angel Moya

It's easy to dismiss Miguel Angel Moya as just a backup goalkeeper, but only last season he was the starter for Atletico in La Liga, played seven times in the Champions League and only came out of the side in March 2015 due to injury.

This season he hasn't played a single minute outside of the Copa del Rey.

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He's a good, solid goalkeeper and doubtless plays an important part in pushing Jan Oblak to maintain high performances, but Moya would be a starter at a mid-table Spanish club or even a little higher.

At Atletico this season he has been little more than an onlooker.

Tiago

Portuguese veteran Tiago is out of contract this summer at Atletico and is yet to agree a new deal.

He began the year in the team and in form, but a broken leg in the winter ended his dominance of the midfield and paved the way for Saul Niguez's emergence and subsequent regular starting berth—as well as the signing of Augusto Fernandez, who has played an important role.

Tiago returned to play in the final minutes of the league season off the bench but, now aged 35 and having missed five months of action, his guarantee of a starting place has long gone.

If he remains at the Calderon next term it will be as a guiding head for the youngsters, a rotation role and a player who can come on to control matches late in games, not as a must-have in the XI any longer.

Oliver Torres

Perhaps the biggest drop in stock from the first game of the season to the last is that of Oliver Torres.

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The attacking midfielder was handed the No. 10 shirt and placed in the first starting XI of the season by Simeone, but soon lost his consistency, his place and his ability to impact games off the bench.

Oliver has the aggression and intelligence in his game to suit Atletico, but he seemed unable to find his best creative work after losing confidence and rhythm.

The 21-year-old needs to get back to playing with more regularity to make the most of the talent he possesses, but he also needs to be aware that there is no true central playmaking role in this team for him to operate from—the work rate and ingenuity must be produced from a wide area.

He can rediscover form, but right now he has plummeted well out of favour.

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