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Why Atletico Madrid’s Nicolas Gaitan Has the Tools Required to Be a La Liga Star
- Updated: August 7, 2016
If pre-season is all about putting into practice what will later become second nature during the regular campaign, then Atletico Madrid have got their own pre-season pretty much on point.
With tight games, clean sheets and a togetherness fostered by an ever-demanding but passionate manager, Atletico are clicking into gear two weeks out from their season opener at home to Alaves, when all of this hard work has to start coming to fruition.
On Saturday—after the cancellation of the trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray—it was to Calabria, the point on Italy’s boot, to face an FC Crotone side who are newly promoted to Serie A.
The opposition can’t have been specially selected because of the hastiness of the arrangement of the fixture, but as always with Atletico, there was a game plan and ruthless devotion to it.
They won 2-0, with one goal coming just short of the hour mark and another in injury time, and you can expect to see a few more results like that over the course of their campaign.
And what is often so impressive about Diego Simeone’s Atletico machine is just how quickly the new players fit in to it.
Croatia international Sime Vrsaljko started and was everything that he has been signed to be—a solid right-back who will provide effective competition and rest for Juanfran throughout what is sure to be another demanding season.
Elsewhere, young forward Rafael Santos Borre got an opportunity to start alongside veteran Fernando Torres in the absence of both new boy Kevin Gameiro and golden boy Antoine Griezmann, who will return to training this week following his summer heroics in the blue of France.
Then in the second half, we saw one of the more exciting arrivals of the summer for any team.
Nicolas Gaitan’s switch from Benfica to Atletico in June may have gone somewhat unnoticed due to the fact that it occurred just as everyone was becoming obsessed with Euro 2016, but the Argentina international offers versatility and quality on the ball in whatever position Simeone chooses to play him in, and you suspect that will be several.
We are, after all, talking about one of the stars of the Champions League last season.
Gaitan’s Benfica might have been one of the more …
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