Atletico Madrid: Revolution is down to Diego Simeone, not Diego Costa

After 12 official club games, Atletico Madrid sit with ten wins and two draws, both of which came in the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. They are in second place, behind Barcelona on goal difference in La Liga, on top of their Champions League group, and lost narrowly, by one away goal in the Spanish Super Cup. As a team, they have been renowned for their teamwork. They are not the sort of side to just sit behind the ball, but they are very tactically disciplined and keep a lot of men back at almost all ties. They have a lot of aggression in their team, with players like Gabi, Diego Godin and others never shying out of a tackle. Felipe Luis is a very forward-thinking full back; this is firstly because of how complete and accomplished fullback he is, and secondly because Atletico Madrid base a lot of their attacking play on the left flank. To keep things balanced, Juanfran is a little more conserative on his side. Everyone, with the possible exception of Diego Costa, press all over the pitch. Carlo Ancelotti was spot on when he likened Atletico's displays to Simeone's as a player (via ESPN). Diego Costa is currently La Liga's top goalscorer, above the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with ten goals in eight league games so far. He is supplemented by quick, dynamic and efficient players in Koke, Arda Turan and David Villa. Aside from new recruit David Villa, the remainder of Atletico's average La Liga starting XI were at the club last season. Along with that, 13 of their current squad members were at the club when Simeone was appointed. Costa and Koke were only 22 and 18 years old respectfully, and Simeone has enabled them to transform into fine players by having the patience to ease them into the squad, and allowing them to play to their strengths. This patience displayed by Simeone paid dividends,when on 17th May 2013, Atletico Madrid won the Spanish Cup Final 2-1 in extra time. Although Atletico Madrid were left to defend for the majority of the contest, a combination of wasteful finishing by the Galacticos, great last-ditch defending, heroics by Thibaut Courtois, or the prowess of Radamel Falcao ensured that they left with three points. Real Madrid clearly could not cope with the confidence and passion that Atletico showed as a team, as during this heated encounter, former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho was

sent to the stands and Cristiano Ronaldo was given a straight red card for a high boot on Gabi in the final moments of the contest. It's worth noting that Atletico came out 1-0 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu this season. Unlike the last one, luck played no part in the outcome of this match. Real Madrid were outdone by a swift counter-attack featuring Gabi, Koke and the goal-scorer, Diego Costa. This team coherence was a lot more than Real Madrid could match over 90 minutes. Last week, against Celta Vigo, Atletico delivered an exemplary away performance. Managed by former Barcelona man Luis Enrique, Celta pressed Atletico's midfield from the start, in particular Gabi. They were competent throughout the match, comfortable in possession, and had goalkeeper Yoel in fine form, but Atletico Madrid still came out 2-1 winners. The difference between this team and others around them is that they know exactly what to do whenever they receive the ball. Koke and Gabi always have a license to roam around the midfield, so they often orchestrate counter-attacks. This is often done in succession during games, but it never unbalances the side. Diego Costa is always the furthest man forward, running into obvious spaces that the midfielders are not. If he is not avaliable to receive the pass, there is always plenty of overlapping down the left, with Felipe Luis providing natural width, and Koke drifting inside. Much has been made of Diego Costa's transformation. He has started the season on a new lease of life; he is still the provocative, Suarez-like player who is intolerable for defenders, but has truly stepped up to a world-class level, and has eradicates past inconsistencies from his displays. His role has always been hard to define. When asked how he would describe himself as a player, he said (via GuillemBalague.com): I dont really like playing as an out and out centre forward. I like getting the ball in wide areas and being in possession all the time. If Im not seeing enough of the ball I get quite agitated which is why I come looking for it and naturally drop out wide. I dont know how you would describe me exactly Ironically, before this season, he had produced his best football as a No.9, on loan at Rayo Vallencano. This season, Simeone has successfully resolved this issue. Costa has been the furthest man forward, racking up most of his team's goals, but as the furthest man forward, he offers a support option to others; he often drifts wide to provide this. David Villa, on the other hand, provides the support to Costa when he is distracting the opposition. It goes without saying that he is the master of making late runs, being aware of what is strike partner is doing and finishing clinically. He proved as much during his Barcelona and Spain days. This proves that Diego Simeone does not buy players because they look good on the market, or because they 'add quality'. He is strictly team-orientated and thinks of this before anything else. I'm not sure that many other managers would have left 8 million signing Toby Alderweireld out of the team due to the form of starting duo Diego Godin and Miranda. He has creaed a winning formula from the strengths of his team, and that's he is a manager whom others in the game should look up to. Look at this space, Premier League managers.