Diego Simeone isn’t done tinkering. He’s gone the route I hoped for when I wrote a piece asking whether or not Atletico Madrid should continue their expansive play or revert back to ‘Cholismo.’
He’s staying the course with his experiment, for now, at least. Since my last published opinion, Simeone has shown the footballing world that he is still learning what works and what doesn’t with the players at his disposal, especially some of the summer transfers.
To an extent, the new tweaks have worked while the old ways (Tiago, we’re thinking of you in that Villarreal fixture) have seemed to hurt the colchoneros.
Yes, Tiago may have immediately stopped the bleeding after that forgetful Madrid derby back in November, but the Copa del Rey and some recent friendlies has seen Simeone raise a few eyebrows that have turned into grins.
Simeone really utilizing the CDR for his versatile vision. Juanfran was in midfield, Gimenez was a holding mid, and Vrsaljko at home at RB.
— Carlo Valladares (@C_V_News) January 4, 2017
On Tuesday, with Atleti going to Gran Canaria to face off against Las Palmas in the first-leg of the Copa del Rey Last-16, the Argentine opted to play a slightly different lineup. Upon first glance, it shows versatility on that right flank:
Atletico Madrid's starting XI in #CopaDelRey first-leg against las Palmas. Juanfran and Vrsaljko were on right flank together. #Atleti pic.twitter.com/GqIX8QIzhZ
— Carlo Valladares (@C_V_News) January 4, 2017
The decision paid off. The 31-year-old winger and the newly acquired right-back offered a good dynamic in attack and defense. As it happened, Vrsaljko provided a pinpoint cross in the build-up to Antoine Griezmann’s second-half goal, highlighting his value as a scoring threat from defense.
The Croatian had a better night at right-back than Juanfran’s efforts on the wing, but Juanfran didn’t have a night to scoff at either.
Vrsaljko was my MOTM against Las Palmas. He's looking to make RB his home. Juanfran as a right winger looked decent, too. #LasPalmasAtleti
— Carlo Valladares (@C_V_News) January 4, 2017
This wasn’t the first time Sime Vrsaljko and Juanfran operated on the right wing together, however. In their Copa del Rey second-leg match against Guijuelo a couple of weeks ago, both players shared the pitch in the same manner and many were surprised.
Obviously, if you’ve kept a strong eye on the Simeone era since the beginning, you’d have known that Juanfran graduated from Real Madrid’s famed ‘La Fábrica’ academy as a winger and stayed there during spells at Espanyol and Osasuna.
Long story short, Juanfran would score in that second-leg 4-1 win and it wasn’t down to Guijuelo’s inferior standard. Our surprise turned into interest and the supporters’ imaginations started running wild.
We asked ourselves: “Will this happen again against tougher opposition?” It did, and we won.
Some may not want Juanfran as a winger, mainly because he didn’t really contribute with consistent threats throughout the game against Las Palmas.
But Juanfran’s short and quick ground passing can compliment Vrsaljko’s eagerness to find spaces on the flanks to utilize for dangerous crosses. Simeone’s mind is in the right place in regards to our newly discovered right-flank versatility.
Giménez in the Pivot?
In that same second-leg match against Guijuelo, centre-back José Giménez was also used as a pivot for a certain period of time. Many others, including myself, thought that the chances of more ‘Guijuelo-safe’ experiments continuing further into the Copa del Rey were slim. Boy, were we wrong.
#Atleti played a 4-2-3-1 with José Gimenéz in a pivot role after Gameiro and Juanfran were subbed off in Tuesday's match against Las Palmas. pic.twitter.com/L87NnSczkz
— Carlo Valladares (@C_V_News) January 5, 2017
The 2-0 win against Las Palmas also saw the Uruguayan in a holding role when he and Ángel Correa came on for Kevin Gameiro and Juanfran after 60 minutes.
Once the subs were settled, Atleti played a high-press, comfortable enough to fight for the ball higher up the pitch with a 2-0 lead.
Giménez looked strong partnered with Gabi as a shield for the defense and there is no denying that if Simeone wants someone other than Tiago to form a partnership with the veteran defensive midfielder, he has a good backup in the young Uruguayan.
Oh, and Giménez can add a height advantage if and when Atleti want to close out a game and need more protection from corners and crosses.
Verdict
Simeone is still treating certain games and competitions like a boy trying to figure out what his final project is going to be for the science fair. Cholismo is still the go-to philosophy in the Champions League, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his recent experiments are practiced in La Liga fixtures. This approach can only benefit the club in the long run.
The players are getting ready for another collective style to be added to the team’s growing repertoire. The 4-2-3-1 could be the formation of the future, even if the Argentine waves goodbye after one season at the Wanda Metropolitano (Damn, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to saying that).
Follow Carlo Valladares on Twitter: https://twitter.com/C_V_News and at his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCggLcMfu9ds2zMdouczehig