Atletico Madrid Need to Find Goals Outside of Mario Mandzukic By Paul Wilkes It was always going to be difficult to replace Diego Costa, but losing David Villa and Adrian Lopez at the same time meant that Atletico Madrid needed to add a number of strikers. They signed Mario Mandzukic from Bayern Munich, which gave them a first-choice forward, and Raul Jimenez arrived as back-up. Atletico have had to change their style in order to accommodate the Croatian, with the team now more of a possession-based unit. With Costa as a focal point, they were able to counter-attack at pace, while offering a physical threat. Mandzukic isnt as mobile as his predecessor, but he can hold the ball up well with his back to goal. He relies more on service from wide areas than penetrative passes through the middle. After an initial adaptation process, the forward has scored 11 goals across La Liga and the Champions League. He added another two to his total against LHospitalet last night in the second leg of the Copa del Rey. With his team already at an advantage of three goals, it was something of a surprise to see Atleticos main striker in action. They were the sort of strikes that Los Rojiblancos have come to expect from him—one was a typical poachers finish, the other a header. As you would expect, Mandzukic leads the goalscoring charts at the club, while the rest of the players contribute a significant amount of goals from different areas of the pitch. The centre-backs provide a threat from set pieces and the midfielders also add to the tally with late runs into the box. Mandzukic has so far managed to stay free of injury, but should he be sidelined for any prolonged period at any point, the club will certainly suffer. Another striker is needed in the squad to help carry the burden. Jimenez has only been able to score one goal this season. The 23-year-old Mexican hasnt progressed in the manner that manager Diego Simeone expected, and theres definitely a role available for additional cover. With that being said, they have finally added young Argentine sensation Angel Correa to their ranks after initially reaching a deal at the end of May, according to Dermot Corrigan at ESPN. Only the medical stood in their way, while Spanish papers varied on the figure agreed, with Mundo Deportivo claiming it was €7 million for just 60 percent of the players rights. Correa opted to stay with San Lorenzo for the rest of the season and helped the side win the Copa Libertadores. I have the same agent as Eduardo Salvio, and I used to ask him to send me Atletico shirts, Correa told Marca after arriving in Madrid, via ESPN. Its a dream come true. The 19-year-old has been playing first-team football for the last 18 months after he was given his debut by former Valencia manager Juan Antonio Pizzi. He has an excellent first touch, pace, explosiveness and desire. Considering those qualities, along with his nationality, its no surprise he has drawn comparisons with another former Atleti player in Sergio Aguero. Correas scoring record isnt good enough to provide an instant alternative for Mandzukic should the Croat miss a few months. He does provide a stylistic difference and already has a habit of netting in the big matches, though. With little time to acclimatise to a new league, its believed that Simeone is seeking someone that already knows the Spanish top flight well. Inevitably, this leads to talk of a possible return of prodigal son Fernando Torres, per Simon Jones of the Daily Mail. However, for this to happen, Chelsea would need to release him from the remaining 18 months of his contract, and Milan would need to forsake the loan deal they have in place. Simeone is fully aware that even if he cant capture Torres, he still needs striking options beyond Mandzukic.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 04:39:43 +0000
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