Football has proven itself to be a constant dominance transition, with new teams surprising us every season or big ones falling apart in a single year. However, some remain strong despite that and Atleti is one of them. The Spanish team maintain a good level on top with big ambition this season as they aim on winning the CL. But what makes them that solid ? And can they really make it this year ? Insight.
Atletico Madrid and the art of defending :
The main thing Atletico de Madrid is known for is its excellent defence. Indeed, their iconic 4-4-2 is as solid as a rock, with very little amount of goals conceded per season. They manage to do so with tactical control and discipline, as we’ll see through this analysis.
When defending, Los Colchoneros deploy a flat 4-4-2 or (sometimes) a diamond-shaped 4-4-2 depending on situations. Simeone wants his team to focus on three major attributes : compactness, agressivity and concentration.
For every defensive block, any tactical decision/setup is done for the only purpose to close any exploitable spaces. That means the team’s structure needs to remain intact during the whole defensive phase. Let’s see how the Spanish club manages to do so.
As I’ve already mentionned, compactness is important to Simeone’s men. In defence, they keep a tight structure vertically as well as horizontally. This eliminates space between lines, in which the opponent can pass through midfield to get to the final third. Also, the horizontal compactness secures the penalty area but also pushes opposition to play out wide. An area where the ball can be more easily recovered.
Indeed, when the ball is played on the flanks, the opponent’s choices are reduced by half. If he’s facing another player, he can only play inside. This gives a good advantage to the Rojiblancos : they anticipate the move to close any middle space and only allow opposition to play backwards. Or to take the 1vs1 (or 2vs2 or 3vs3…), and eventually lose because Atleti’s players are fully-trained in individual duels. Basically, that’s what we call a pressing-trap. All this thanks to the touchline.
The touchline is the best defender in the world. - Pep Guardiola
Having no options as forward spaces are either closed or uninteresting, the opponent therefore has to pass the ball backwards. At that moment, Atleti’s defensive block can push forward as the situation will benefit them. In fact, moving towards the ball in this case :
- keeps opposition away from final third
- helps keeping a vertically-compact structure
- puts pressure on opponent that will find difficulties to play forward
Finally, if there’s any missing spaces despite these instructions, Simeone counts on his men to do the right move. In this situation, the players have to cover each other to block exploitable spaces/numerical inferiority. Something they excel at, thanks to intense training.
However, if the Spanish squad is so solid at defence, it’s mainly for their ability to protect Zone 14. Located just below the penalty area, this zone is carefully taken care of through a well-prepared tactical setup (already explained). But why this much focus on Zone 14 ?
Zone 14, also known as the Golden Square, is basically the area where teams finalize their actions. In fact, it has been recognized as the area producing the most goals in one way of another (assists or direct strikes). Stats reveal this : successful squads are the one who reaches Zone 14 the most. For instance, the 1998 French national team which most goals attempts came from assists in central attacking area in this specific area.
As easy as it sounds, defending Zone 14 is very difficult. If Simeone’s squad is able to do so, it’s through their exceptionnal discipline. Protecting this area requires constant focus from central defenders/midfielders that have to move as a unit based on the ball’s movement. Even little mistakes, either caused by bad position or bad decision-making, can be fatal.
Despite the difficulties imposed, the Spanish team doesn’t have to worry about anything regarding defence. Diego "El Cholo" Simeone is as good at tactics as at coaching, and has worked a lot on improving his team’s defensive cohesion/discipline. They slowly learned how to defend as a unit and stay concentrated with the ball’s movement. Also, and more importantly, he learned them to love defending.
The results that come out from these intense and well-thought training drills is simply outstanding. He has managed to switch all his players to be defence-minded ones without losing their touch in attack. The most notable example to come out from this fact is Antoine Griezmann.
A threatening offensive approach :
If Atletico’s primary strength is defence, attack is also key to their recent success. The Spanish club is a serious threat forward, with quality players to hold up the balance between defence and attack. But, as we’ll see right away, their tactical mastership is the main reason they’re so dangerous upfront (see graphic).
As they prioritize minimum risk in defence, you surely have guessed that Atletico Madrid focuses on quick transitions. Indeed, they are used to a certain "pattern" in attack : ball recovery on the side to break fastly on that same flank. Los Rojiblancos want to break through so fast that they end up offside a lot (3.8 times caught offside per game last season in La Liga).
However, their style is slowly but surely changing. Opposition teams are now used to seeing Atleti counter-attack with big space left behind, so they do not focus much on possession. Also, previous departures of Gaitan and Carrasco left Atleti without fast-penetrative wingers (except maybe Correa). It’s no worries though for the Spanish club, who’s able to be dangerous even when building patiently.
When securing possession, Atleti deploys some sort of 2-2-5-1 with the wide midfielders tucking in and Griezmann moving below the upfront striker. Also, a central midfielder moves a bit high to support the attack by becoming an additional option (see image).
In attack, individual capacities are the main composant of the offensive phase. Simeone often changes the setup depending on the opponent, but some points remain unchanged. No matter the tactical approach, we’re constantly in the presence of :
- space understanding from upfront players (to break through opposition defence)
- agressive and efficient forward pressing
- individual technical abilities
Simeone has, beyond proving his tactical and coaching strength, showed he knows how to choose his players. Previous transfer markets have allowed him to get quality players upfront, who have the "flair" the team needs to score.
This flair is marked by impressive understanding of space from the forwards, as well as (nearly) all the players sometimes. In fact, they perfectly master spacing and timing, which helps quickly recognize openings and exploit them.
This space mastership mainly shows up in-between opposition lines. When retaining possession, the Spanish squad tries to overload the area between midfield and defence units. This is where you can see their skills in space’s management, especially with Antoine Griezmann who’s very talented at this.
Los Rojiblancos also rely on high pressing to create occasions upfront. Mostly counting on 1vs1, they aim to block the opponent’s build-up and wait for him to commit a poor touch or decision. If done, this will then help the team recover the ball and break through the defence much easier than building from the back. However, the team does not use this stratagem much as they always prioritize minimal risk in defence.
Finally, the technical capacities present in the team’s individualities. As I said earlier, Simeone managed to get quality players around him, whether from the academy or bought on transfer market. This allowed him to get a fine technical level amongst his squad.
These technical facilities are very helpful in situations that are adapted to the team’s setup. Basically, when playing on quick-transitions as Atleti often do, technique is key to the final third. Also, it can help you break through a very-low defensive block when the opposition focuses on defending.
Not to talk about the upfront strikers once again, we can mention Saul Niguez who’s a really skillful player. His technical abilities have been important in decisive moments, such as the match against Bayern in the CL’s final stages (see video).
Conclusion :
As far as we’ve seen, the success of Los Colchoneros is everything but luck. Guided by Simeone, the club has been able to build its path through the top with several achievements inbetween the way. Technically powerful and tactically aware, Atleti has never been so prepared to reach its dreams.
If the opposition is strong as clubs have reinforced themselves, the Spanish squad has also strong arguments. For instance, a good transfer market with top players staying (Griezmann) and good ones joining (Gelson Martins, Lemar). As well as a good tactical setup thanks to a long-term intense work leaded by El Cholo. Enough to strive for the best ? Only time will tell…
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