Rumours are pushing Mario Mandzukic out of Atlético Madrid, with the latest linking him with Manchester United – but should the Croat go?
‘Super Mario Mandzukic’ scored his last goal against Almeria in late February and since then Griezmann and Torres had to step up to the plate in order to secure Atleti’s third-place finish in the league.
It’s no secret that Mandzukic is a player who needs to be handed the ball in order to score. Even Cholo said that when asked about him.
“He needs to be fed and be surrounded by players who support him.”
The team’s midfield was a horror story this season, with practically none of the precision and intensity that was present in the league-winning campaign the year before..
Yet, all of a sudden it’s Mandzukic’s fault for not scoring goals this season, even though he actually scored 20 times.
Lots of Griezmann’s goals weren’t reliant on to assists or key passes from his team mates, but because of him making the goals on his own. He would capitalize on defenders’ mistakes and use his speed and dribbling to find his way to goal.
So why blame the Croat when our problem was clearly in the midfield?
Rumours have it that Atleti will sign Tevez, but that is seriously a short term solution. The Argentine is 31 years old and it is unclear how much longer he can perform at a high level.
Luciano Vietto is edging closer to his move to Atlético, so that could potentially be another replacement.
The Spanish press says that several English clubs, Wolfsburg and AC Milan are interested in Mandzukic, including today’s report in The Sun, but would it really be wise to let him go?
If Cholo wants to replace Mario, then so be it; however, I don’t think he should leave after just one season.