There is no better thermometer to measure an Atlético moment than analyze the Koke level. The captain is not the fastest, most attractive or most technical player on the team, but probably It is the most important when it comes to setting rhythm and balance to make your teammates play. And if Koke is not in his best version, Atlético suffers.
The Vallecano continues to act as a pivot and anchor for the center of the mattress field, but this season to the team it is taking him more to dominate the games, that they play what Atlético wants and that weakens Koke. Sometimes outgrown, especially in Champions against very physical and active midfields in pressure, the second player with the most matches in the club’s history is failing to shine and the team is noticing it greatly.
Against Milan, the Italian team wanted to place Brahim behind him and anchor a Koke who is not a pure pivot and he looks for mobility a lot when trying to be the team’s exit played from behind. AND despite the presence of De Paul by his side, always with a great physical display, Koke has not yet been seen comfortable and with continuity in his game. In that infamous match against Milan, Koke had a 76.6% success rate in the pass, failing in 11 of his 47 shipments., one of his worst percentages of the season. The captain was only able to complete 17 shipments in the rival field and Atlético did not give the feeling of being imposed at any time in the center of the rival field.
After an outstanding 2020-21 season and a fantastic Eurocup, Koke had to speed up the set-up with an atypical, short preseason and hardly any preparation to retake the controls of the team. And without finding the peak of form, the best Koke has only been seen in specific matches, coinciding with Atlético’s best football moments (for example, against Betis and Barcelona).
Busquets and the role in the selection
With the National Team, that dominant Koke is appearing more and able to pause, accelerate and set the pace of the team. And perhaps a factor in the fundamental equation is that pivot role that So well does Busquets exercise with Spain and how much he frees Koke when it comes to approaching the area and stepping on the rival field. Along the same lines, but in reverse, it happens with the Barcelona player, who lives very comfortable when he has the rojiblanco captain at his side covering meters without stopping and freeing him to do all the work that he had to cover as a Blaugrana.
Simeone knows that Koke is a fundamental piece in the red-and-white spine. Indisputable, find his best version seems capital to recover the best Atlético of last season. Cádiz will be the next test for that midfield with the captain as stopper with De Paul and Lemar putting football and quality to the core. Kondogbia does not finish convincing Simeone and he is the only pivot player accustomed to serving as an anchor in the red-and-white squad. The best Atlético goes through finding the best Koke.