[Sport] The Definitive Evolution of Koke

[#Steeven.™]

Much of the change that Atlético is going through this season is due to the level that Koke is showing in a position that until now was semi-unknown to him. In his first years as a rojiblanco, the now captain had two of the best midfielders of the entire Simeone stage as teammates. Tiago first, and Gabi later, were in charge of occupying the position of the colchonero positional midfielder. Then, they would come to play in the famous position of the Argentine '5' Rodrigo and Thomas. It was precisely the departure of the latter that precipitated the final conversion of Koke.

Koke has occupied all the midfield positions throughout his career in Simeone's 4-4-2 classic. During seasons he was the protagonist of some debates about his location on the pitch, the best performance of the youth squad was associated with the release of him in defensive tasks and his contribution to the rojiblanco attack. A handful of goals per season and a good number of assists during his career proved it. Well, he has had to move away from the rival area and settle in the first line of creation to find perhaps the best version of him as a rojiblanco.

The advantage for Simeone, as was demonstrated on Sunday in Cádiz, is that Koke will perform in any position in the midfield even with the new system of three centrals. If he had been decisive as a positional midfielder, in the last game he could be seen occupying up to three demarcations in the center of the field. He began acting as an indoor partner by having Torreira as a dance partner, recovered his position as a midfielder when the Uruguayan left at half-time and ended the game completely liberated with the entry of Herrera and Kondogbia, to the point that he scored his first goal from the season.

A task, the arrival to the area that has been reduced this season to be further away from that area of the pitch. Not for that reason, he has diminished his influence in the game, giving clarity to the team in the exit of the ball as constant support for the three centrals. Now, that more offensive position has fallen on two footballers who are going through a great moment of play such as Marcos Llorente and Lemar, both held by the presence of Koke behind them. If for a few weeks that role was carried out by Héctor Herrera, it seems that the loss of the Mexican has definitively settled the rojiblanco captain in a position to date unknown and where he has been uncovered this season. The youth squad has taken one more step as a player, becoming an indisputable reference in the center of the athletic field.