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This summer, Atletico Madrid had one of the best transfer windows in the past few years. They bought some excellent players. Thomas Lemar, Gelson Martins, Santiago Arias and Rodri are four young, promising and very high-quality signings. Also, Nikola Kalinić came to the club
On the other side, their key player, Antoine Griezmann signed a new, long-term contract. Keeping Griezmann means that they are going to be a real powerhouse this season.
Last season, Los Colchoneros finished runners-up behind Barcelona in La Liga. In Copa del Rey, Sevilla beat them in the quarterfinals. In the Champions League, they finished third in the group stages and that was enough only to qualify to the Europa League knockout stages. They won that competition by beating Marseille 3-0 in the final match. This was their third Europa League trophy in last 8 years.
Cholo Simeone has proved many times that he is a world class manager. His team has talent in abundance and they now look very capable of winning the La Liga trophy this season especially with so much change going on at Real Madrid and Barcelona. Also, I won't be surprised if they go very far in the Champions League.
They have strength in every single area of the pitch. We know very well that Cholo prefers 4-4-2 formation. In the picture below, you can see Atletico Madrid's ideal starting lineup for this season. This team is a perfect mix of technicality and physicality.
Goalkeeper
Certainly, Cholo Simeone doesn't have any problems with goalkeeper position. Jan Oblak is currently one of the best goalkeepers in the word.
Still only 25, Oblak already has a glowing reputation, which will only get better in the future. Definitely, he is the first name on the team sheet for Cholo Simeone.
This summer, Atletico Madrid also signed Antonio Adan from Real Betis for just €1m. This is another smart piece of business by Atleti because as a backup keeper you'll struggle to find someone as good.
Defenders
The back 4 for Atletico Madrid should ideally be: Right-back: Santiago Arias, Centre backs: Godin and Gimenez, Left-back: Felipe Luis
Jan Oblak is an excellent goalkeeper but he also has a stone wall in front of him. Atletico Madrid are probably the best defensive team in the world right now. Their system is mostly based on an incredible defensive organisation.
Centre back positions are reserved for Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez. In Gimenez and Godin, Atleti have arguably the best centre-back pairing in La Liga.
For the past few seasons, Diego Godin has been a leader at the back for both country and club. This Atletico Madrid side is unthinkable without him. Being one of Simeone's senior members in the team, a lot of hopes will again rest on the shoulders of the 32-year-old.
Jose Gimenez is really a legend in the making. At 23 years of age, he already has two World Cup campaigns with his national team and 29 appearances for Atletico in European competitions. Gimenez possesses the qualities that every manager would want in his centre back.
Stevan Savić will probably wait for his chance from the bench. He is another excellent centre-back who will do his job on a maximum level every time he gets a chance.
Santiago Arias and Filipe Luis should occupy the full-back slots. Atletico Madrid has signed Colombian defender on a five-year deal from PSV Eindhoven as the replacement for Šime Vrsaljko. Arias is a fullback probably more suited to their style of play. He is a more creative fullback than Vrsaljko. Arias constantly offers runs up and down the pitch, good crosses and cutbacks.
Last season, Felipe Luis suffered a serious injury which sidelined him for two months. He came back at the end of last season, and he also appeared at the World Cup in Russia. His competition at the left back position will be Lucas Hernandez, who played very good at the World Cup. His national team won this competition and he was the first choice on the left back.
Midfielders
Four academy players will battle for two centre-midfield spots: Koke, Saul Niguez, Thomas Partey and Rodri. Gabi has joined Qatari side Al Sadd and because of that, Thomas Partey should be a regular starter this season.
Partey perfectly fits into Atletico's system. Last season, he was brilliant. He is so comfortable with the ball and he has great passing skills.
Him and Saul Niguez will form a very dynamic duo in the midfield. They will complement each other so well. Saúl’s main strength is his ability to find and exploit space.
Rodri has played in Atletico Madrid's academy, before moving to Villareal. This summer, Rodrigo came back to Atletico for a transfer fee around €20m.
He is a player with bags of potential but it is hard to believe that he is going to be a starter in his first season. Despite that, he is a perfect rotational option for Saul and Partey in the middle.
Koke will probably play on the right. Simeone likes to have a player on the wing that can come inside to help in defensive duties and Koke is the perfect option in that regard.
Gelson Martins came to Atletico Madrid this summer from Sporting Lisbon. He has some good abilities like speed and dribbling as well and he will be an excellent option from the bench.
Yannick Carrasco went to China last season, so they had to find a good replacement on the left wing, and Thomas Lemar was a perfect choice.
In 2016/17 season, Lemar was one of the key players for Monaco. They won the Ligue 1 trophy and Lemar scored 9 goals and also provided 11 assists in 34 appearances. On the other side, the Frenchman had a quiet second season at Monaco but he is young enough to be in the plans for next 5 years.
He is a perfect wide playmaker for Cholo's 4-4-2 formation because he will add creativity from the wide areas. Also, he will add some intelligent movement into the half space.
Forwards
Antonie Griezmann and Diego Costa form a perfect partnership. They proved that in the second part of the last season.
Diego Costa came back to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea in January In 23 appearances in all competitions, Costa scored 7 goals and also provided 6 assists for Atletico.
Now, Atletico will have Costa for the full season and we can expect even more goals from him.
Griezmann plays in a more free role. He can also be expected to drift onto the right side and be a more creative force.
This summer, Griezmann signed a new contract at Atletico Madrid, keeping him at the club until 2023. This is surely the most important signing for Atletico this summer.
Also, Griezmann won World Cup trophy with his national team this summer. He will surely be hungry for more trophies this season.
Angel Correa, Kevin Gameiro and Nikola Kalinić will wait for their chance from the bench.
