ATLéTICO MADRID 2023/24 SEASONAL PLAYER RATINGS: MIDFIELDERS

Atlético Madrid’s midfield this season took a step forward into the future, as Diego Simeone incorporated young players — like Pablo Barrios and Arthur Vermeeren — who will have an important say in Atlético’s post-Koke era. Still, the group lacked a pure pivot and — like the defense — needs to be augmented this summer with energetic runners who can make life easier for Koke and Rodrigo de Paul as they get older.

Salim El Jebari

The highly-rated academy product made his first-team debut during a loss to Cádiz in March. The 20-year-old attacker scored four goals and five assists under Luis Tevenet at Atlético B this season and will be one to watch next year now that club legend Fernando Torres has taken over the reins of the B team. N/A

Thomas Lemar

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that’s why some Atlético fans (or maybe it was just me), ended up wondering how Atleti could be better off with Lemar in the midfield. He started the season in the team, but suffered a serious Achilles injury on matchday four against Valencia at Mestalla, only returning to the squad for the final two games of the season and not making it off the bench.

Now 28, Lemar should be coming to his prime. Instead, he’s ended the season with just 165 minutes under his belt. A strong pre-season is crucial to hitting the ground running and earning his spot back in the team in 2024/25. N/A

Saúl Ñíguez

It looks increasingly likely that this will be Saúl Ñíguez’s final season in an Atlético Madrid shirt, and sadly, it was well reflected by his final performance. Introduced on 70 minutes against Real Sociedad, he was booked 10 minutes later and then sent off another 10 minutes after that — his first red card over 427 appearances for the club.

It’s true that Saúl played an impressive 49 games this season, but only 23 were from the start, and he completed the 90 minutes on only four occasions. Other than a brief flash of form in September, when he recorded two assists against both Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid, he has never been more than a bench option for Diego Simeone.

Saúl’s versatility did offer something to the squad, and we saw him come in as a wing-back, in midfield and in a number of different roles to fill in the gaps. Rarely did we see him offer much of an improvement on what was already out on the field. The one exception was against Villarreal, when he scored a crucial injury-time winner after coming on with only six minutes left, but it was one of few memorable moments. The game against Inter Milan, when euphoria ruled throughout the Metropolitano, probably summarised it best. Saúl apologised on social media for a dreadful performance off the bench and a missed penalty in the shoot-out. Sadly, it’s best for all parties if this is how his Atlético career ends. 4

Arthur Vermeeren

In August, you could probably count the number of Atlético Madrid fans who knew of Arthur Vermeeren on one hand. By the end of the season, the number who knew much about the Belgian probably still hasn’t changed all that much.

Arriving in January, almost out of nowhere, Vermeeren was Andrea Berta’s surprise package to turn the season around. However, whether it was due to transfer add-on clauses or simply failing to convince Diego Simeone, we saw only 160 minutes out of the 19-year-old, with his two starts coming immediately after signing on matchday 20, and not again until the final game of the season.

Vermeeren looked a little nervy at times, showing an anxiety to make an impression and rushing into some decisions as he looked to adapt to a faster and more physical competition, but he has shown flashes of real potential. “I knew there was a possibility that I wouldn’t play much at Atleti. Even knowing that, I would make exactly the same decision 100%,” he said at the end of the season. It seems that he is likely to stay at the club for the 2024/25 season and will be looking to establish himself as a more regular presence. 5

Rodrigo de Paul

Another season in which de Paul’s statistics do not paint the full picture. It’s now three seasons into his Atleti career, and de Paul remains the same inconsistent midfielder he was when he joined from Udinese in a Simeone-approved deal.

Nearly 40 percent of de Paul’s goal contributions in LALIGA came after Atlético were no longer in contention for silverware (he also rankled supporters by claiming the team had enjoyed a “great season”). At his best, de Paul runs the hard yards and piles up chance after chance with incisive, daring passing — at his worst, he looks nothing like a World Cup winner, failing to control the ball and hovering around 70 percent accuracy. Now 30 years old, de Paul is someone who stands to benefit the most if Atleti invest this summer in tireless midfielders who will work for the collective — this would simplify the Argentine’s game and let him do what he does best. 5.5

Pablo Barrios

Unfortunate for Barrios that injuries disrupted his first full season in Atlético’s first team. When he was healthy, the 21-year-old showed glimpses of his huge potential and quickly became a player that Simeone trusts.

Barrios started 17 of his 24 appearances in LALIGA and ranked among the team’s leaders in progressive passes and passes into the final third while leading all Atlético players in successful take-ons per 90 minutes. Barrios’ positioning and reading of the game were strong enough to where he could perform commendably in Koke’s position when the skipper was not available — he was the team’s most effective ball-winner in the middle third, ranking highly in interceptions and tackles won per 90. The club eventually hopes Barrios will replace Koke, but I think his best position for the near future is as a dynamic interior running ahead of him — excited to see how much he grows in 2024/25. 6

Koke

Atlético’s captain will feel hard done by after Spain coach Luis de la Fuente left him out of the squad for the European Championship. Koke hasn’t actually played for the national team since the 2022 World Cup and seems unlikely to feature for it again — a shame, because he’s still quite a good footballer.

Koke was as important as ever to Atleti this season. The club’s first 600-gamer made 50 more appearances in all competitions, and his 3,776 minutes played were his most since 2017/18. The 32-year-old averaged around 90 touches per 90 minutes in LALIGA, and he reached 90 percent passing accuracy over an entire season for the first time. Koke signed a new contract in March to end speculation over his future — but again, it is vitally important that the club continues to add young, dynamic midfielders who will in essence do his running for him. 6.5

Marcos Llorente

Few men will have run more than Marcos Llorente in 2023/24, but his hard work paid off and brought results. His 12 goal involvements, with six goals and six assists, is the second-best return he’s had in his career, and he frequently contributed from all over the field.

From wing-back to right-forward via central midfield, Llorente covered almost every inch for Atlético this season. His brace as a makeshift centre forward against Las Palmas was the perfect demonstration. Beyond just his attacking contribution, he was often key in the build up, as proved by his 6.44 progressive passes per 90 which ranks in the top 2% of Europe’s top five leagues this season. His contribution in possession is one that very few players can match.

Defensively, Llorente’s stamina and physique was also crucial to Atlético’s ability to press high in several big games this campaign. That intensity was at the heart of several of Atleti’s best performances as a unit all season, and it was no coincidence that Llorente was in the line-up for them all. His ability to break up play helped to protect a fragile back line and his contribution and flexibility make him a very valuable player for Cholo Simeone. The season had a bitter ending with his exclusion from Spain’s Euro 2024 squad, which was a harsh and unjustified decision by de la Fuente. Even so, Llorente should still look back on this campaign as his best since the title-winning 2020/21 campaign. 7

2024-06-22T05:40:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd