Atletico Madrid Recruitment - Part 1

Assessing where Manchester United are in their rebuilding project, and where improvements are needed.

This is part one of a 2-part series covering Atletico Madrid’s rebuilding project and the club’s trajectory.

Despite being one of the more consistent club teams of the past 5-6 years, it feels like Atletico Madrid have somewhat stagnated since the highs of winning the league in 2014 and reaching two Champions League finals in three years. Diego Simeone has constantly looked to refresh his squad with new additions, but they have fallen short domestically and in Europe.

Following the departures of several squad members during the summer of 2019, notably Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godin, Juanfran and Filipe Luis, Atletico Madrid are undoubtedly undergoing a transitional period. It must be noted however that the club spent big in 2019, with several of those signings earmarked for bright futures in the capital. Regardless, there are holes at the club that need to be addressed for the club to reach its full potential.

Current Squad Status

By taking a look at Atletico Madrid’s squad (Figure 1), we can immediately pinpoint several areas where the squad lacks in either depth, quality or both. Despite being in the midst of (at least a partial) rebuild, Atletico Madrid still have a very talented and deep squad as a whole. Given the talent level at the squad, it would be fair to say that they have underperformed in 2019/20, with the two real areas of concern being the left wing position and the striker position.

Figure 1: Atletico Madrid Squad Depth & Age Profile

Comparing this team to their 2015/16 team (when they reached the Champions League Final), we see several areas of concern (Figure 2). Whilst Atletico still possess one of the most impenetrable defenses in La Liga, they have lagged behind going forward. Indeed, the number of attacks Atletico undertake has fallen since 15/16, and their ability to finish chances has been underwhelming this year.

Figure 2: Atletico Madrid 2019/20 Compared to 2015/16

Problems Up-Top

Comparing Atletico to the current La Liga Top 10 Teams (Based on their ranking in the 2019/20 season), the same issues show up. Atletico Madrid have struggled to create chances and attacks on a consistent basis.

Figure 3: Atletico Madrid compared to La Liga Top 10

Although Atletico don’t create chances on a consistent basis, they do create high quality chances on average. Unfortunately, they have underperformed in front of goal. So while Atletico do create high quality chances, they don’t create them consistency enough and are guilty of squandering them. We can see this in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Atletico Madrid Chance Creation compared to teams in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues.

Indeed Atletico as a team have underperformed their xG, as both their striker options have been particularly underwhelming. Neither of Atletico’s Spanish strikers has earned a starting role heading into next season, and Simeone’s first priority should be to find a quality finisher. Both Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata have underperformed their expected goals, with them scoring 17 La Liga goals between them in 2019/20. (Figure 5)

Figure 5: Diego Costa & Alvaro Morata La Liga Shot Maps.

Creativity & Incisiveness

Besides their finishing woes, Atletico also have trouble creating chances on a consistent basis. This has been particularly apparent without both Joao Felix and Yannick Carrasco, arguably their two biggest final third threats. To illustrate this point, we have chosen a sample of five games against bottom half La Liga teams. Figure 6 shows Atletico’s pass maps in the final third in those five games. In the first four, we can see that Atletico lacked incisiveness and creativity as one, or both, of Felix and Carrasco were missing as they struggled to get the ball into dangerous areas. Meanwhile, when both players did feature vs Mallorca (the 5th game), Atletico were able to create a great number of chances. Indeed, while the illustrated sample is small, we can clearly see how important a creative wide option, and a talented second striker, are in Diego Simeone’s system.

Figure 6: Atletico Madrid Final Third pass maps (Circle represents pass start point, only passes that began in final third)

The second striker position is less of an issue. Felix’s continued development and adaptation means Atletico have a long-term option for that position. While he has had an up and down debut season in the capital, he should only improve moving forward. Marcos Llorente meanwhile has proven to be a capable deputy in that role.

Wide-Areas

Out wide, the future is a bit more unclear but one position that seems to be stable is the full-back position. Over the course of the season both of Atletico’s first choice full-backs, Kieran Trippier and Renan Lodi, have helped provide width in the side’s attacks, but the nature of the side’s play makes it difficult for them to consistently offer such an attacking threat. Despite this, both new signings have performed relatively well going forward and at the back meaning Atletico don’t need further investment in those areas. (Figures 7 & 8)

Figure 7: Kieran Trippier and Renan Lodi defensive performance.

Figure 8: Atletico Madrid Full-Backs Attacking performance.

The issues out wide stem from further up the field. Carrasco's arrival in January has helped alleviate a lot of Atletico’s problems down the flanks. The loanee has had a great impact on the side, but with his deal expiring at the end of the season, that still leaves Atletico with a problem to solve.

Indeed a big concern for this team has been the LW position. In the absence of Carrasco, the capital side has no promising options and have often fielded a central midfielder there, as Thomas Lemar has been extremely underwhelming since signing for the team (Figure 9). It is an area where Atletico lack both depth and quality.

Figure 9: Thomas Lemar Statistical Profile for 2019/20.

Replacing Thomas Partey?

Additionally, while Atletico have a deep and talented midfield, the possible departure of Thomas Partey will be a big blow for the Rojiblancos. The Ghanaian has been one of the standout midfielders in Europe this season, and a replacement is paramount should he depart. (Figure 10)

Figure 10: Thomas Partey Statistical Profile for 2019/20

Centre-Back Issues

Finally, budget permitting, Atletico could look to bolster their depth at the center-back position. While both Felipe & Jose Gimenez are great defenders, the latter’s injury struggles this season have highlighted a chink in the Rojiblancos’ defense, with Stefan Savic and Mario Hermoso asked to deputize. Hermoso hasn’t fully adapted since his move last summer while Savic has not been as reliable.

Savic has been a more than solid deputy for the most part, but the Montenegrin is quite error prone. As a centre-back, these errors generally tend to be very costly, compromising an otherwise extremely sturdy defense. We see three examples of this in Figures 11-13.

Figure 11: Example 1 of Stefan Savic’s error proneness.

Figure 12: Example 2 of Stefan Savic’s error proneness.

Figure 13: Example 3 of Stefan Savic’s error proneness.

While in isolation these may seem like excusable mistakes, the frequency with which Savic commits them is alarming. All three of these incidents happened in three successive games over the span of just 10 days. Consequently, budget permitting, Atletico might be inclined to move on.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Atletico should look to add two important profiles to their team; a quality finisher, and a creative winger. Should Partey depart, a replacement will also be required. Finally, Atletico could do with more depth and cover at the CB position should their budget allow it.

Data Source: FBref & Wyscout