It is clear that every football team seeks to win. Achieving victories is the objective of any competitive team and seeing Atlético's numbers since Simeone arrived, there is no doubt that they have been achieved and they continue on the path to successes that can return this season.
But once the record has been added up, every fan likes to see footballers on the field of play in whom they can see themselves reflected and that is something that comes from having players from your own country, from your quarry or who add a long career in the entity. All of this is happening in this Atlético de Madrid that will continue training, as MARCA well announced, Cholo Simeone once he signs a renewal that is more than on track and that only has the doubt of whether it will be for two more years or three.
Regarding the fact of playing with players eligible for La Roja, there is no doubt that Simeone has Spanishized the team. So far in the competition, up to six Spaniards would be part of a typical eleven, something that has not happened since El Cholo took charge of the bench in 2011. There have been times when Juanfran Gabi or Koke were part of the backbone of the team, youth players like Saúl have come up, legends from the National Team like Villa have been signed and goals from Diego Costa have been counted, but never in Atlético has had
so much Spanish presence in the starting eleven.
And if we review the prominence that the different members of the squad have had in the ten LaLiga matches played plus the three Champions League matches that have been played so far, Azpilicueta, Hermoso, Koke, Llorente, Saúl and Morata occupy privileged positions alongside Griezmann, Oblak, Nahuel, Witsel and DePaul. On all lines of the field there are national footballers performing at a high level and being authentically responsible for the good moment that Atlético de Madrid is experiencing.!
Beyond the players who have had the most starts and minutes in the mattress team, we must highlight those who have been important in key moments. As Simeone usually says with the ownership of his players, quality matters more than quantity. This is what is being seen with Riquelme and Pablo Barrios, two youth players who have settled into the first team and have contributed their good play and their goals. The first opened the scoring against Alavés on the last day of LaLiga and the second scored the team's goal against Lazio. Both have now made a place for themselves in the starting eleven and have managed to ensure that the stands are represented even more in their team with two boys who have gone from defending their colors with their chants from the stands to doing so with their football on the field. game
https://www.marca.com/futbol/atletico/2023/11/01/6540e777ca47415f4d8b457c.html