Atlético de Madrid made their LaLiga debut with a commendable draw against Villarreal after having to equalise the score on two occasions. The defence of the Colchoneros showed the same shortcomings as last season, conceding goals too easily. The second half dropped the pace and both teams ended up taking the draw as good to start a long season.
Without a doubt, the best player of the match was Marcos Llorente , who was named LaLiga's MVP after scoring a great goal shortly after Danjuma 's goal. The Spaniard started on the right flank, although he finished the match playing in the centre of the field after Nahuel Molina came on. If he can maintain his level, it is clear that the Argentine will have very few opportunities to overtake the Spaniard in the starting line-up.
The MVP
Marcos Llorente made it clear against Villarreal that he is a player who deserves to be a starter, no matter what position Simeone needs him to play in. The Spaniard started on the right flank, flanked up front by Antoine Griezmann , who was heavily involved in the defensive duties. He only needed one minute to score a great goal and equalise Danjuma 's opener after a great play against Axel Witsel.
In fact, the right flank was the most positive aspect of Atlético de Madrid , being the main weapon of the red-and-whites to find spaces. Just before the break, it was Pablo Barrios who took advantage of the gap left by Marcos Llorente to serve Alexander Sorloth a wonderful assist. At this level, it will be very difficult for Nahuel Molina to regain the starting position in that position.
The surprise
Every striker wants to make his debut like Alexander Sorloth did for Atlético de Madrid, scoring before the break. The Norwegian striker did not have an easy game at La Cerámica , rarely coming into play and being heavily covered by the centre-backs. Just before the end of the first half, Alexander Sorloth took advantage of a good cross from Pablo Barrios to level the score with a great header.
Needs improvement
It wasn't the best game for Jan Oblak , who received a lot of criticism from several Atlético de Madrid fans after the first two goals. In the first, he didn't completely block a cross from Danjuma , but the worst came after a corner from Villarreal. The Slovenian didn't understand Axel Witsel and had a bad high clearance that ended with an own goal from Koke and doubts in the red-and-white team.
Simeone's game
The Argentine coach left few details, once again betting on two attacking midfielders behind Alexander Sorloth , in this case Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino. Atlético de Madrid struggled to be accurate in their pressing, although they again created many goal-scoring opportunities with very little. Simeone made many rotations in the second half, distributing minutes and lowering the pace of the match in the second half.