As the European smoke cleared, Atletico returned strong with back-to-back victories, and even though they lost against Barcelona, they have a solid league record and are firmly in the top four.
However, in this round of fixtures, Atletico Madrid will travel to the Bernabeu to meet Real Madrid, who have been on a hot streak lately. The two teams had an intense clash in the Copa del Rey not long ago, which is still hotly debated by the fans of both sides.
Although attackers like Griezmann are gradually finding their form, the injury to midfielder de Paul has cast a shadow over Atletico's midfield strength.
Midfield Vacancy and Griezmann's Solo Effort
Atletico's midfield is facing a rotation problem with the absence of de Paul, who is a key player in the team's attacking and defending roles, as well as the inexperience of youngster Barrios, the limited speed of Witsel, and the poor form of Saúl, which makes it extremely difficult to fill in the gaps.
Simeone's tactical tweak was also controversial, as he chose to play only Griezmann as a traditional striker, with Llorente and Carrasco in supporting roles. This is an uncommon setup, as Atletico lack a physical edge up front, and despite their excellent quick counter-attacking ability, the lack of a quick passing propulsion player like de Paul makes efficiency on the attacking end the biggest question mark.
At the start of the game, Simeone paired Llorente with Griezmann up front, and Llorente did much more than just play up front, often dropping back into the midfield to assist in defense, allowing Atletico to be more flexible in attack and defense.
The stats show that Llorente and Griezmann's involvement in the defensive end was visible for eight minutes. the combination of Llorente up front with Molina and the mobility of the midfielders allowed Atletico to perform better in both attack and defense.
It's worth noting that in this game, Atletico's offense no longer relied on Hermoso's long passes, but instead boosted the success of short passes through midfield mobility.
The player position chart shows that midfielders usually remain free and move parallel.
Llorente tries to match up with Molina on the right side of midfield
Carrasco is also expected to play on the left side and up front, with his ability to rush the ball giving Atletico a more varied lineup.
With a lack of height up front, Atletico capitalized on Saúl's scrambling on crosses, with Molina's cross in the 1st minute taking advantage of Saúl's height. And a cross from the left in the 4th minute was likewise a grabbing attempt by Saúl.
Carrasco's placement in the left midfield position was also in response to Real Madrid's high pressing of Carvajal and the threat of Asensio's long-range shots, with Atletico's formation therefore slightly more of a 3 centre-back style.
Atletico's many passing attacks gradually showed their threat. In the 5th minute, Molina's cross was disputed by Valverde's handball only to be condoned by referee Manzano, which confused the Atletico players.
