Atlético de Madrid began their LaLiga campaign yesterday with a restrained 2-2 draw at La Cerámica against Marcelino García Toral's rocky Villarreal. The Colchoneros earned a point in their LaLiga debut after a game in which they went from strength to strength and in which two isolated plays were very detrimental to them. Simeone lined up a starting 11 that was as novel as it was disconcerting, experimenting a little with the positions of some players and including some players who were not used to playing last year, as well as the new ones.
In addition to these key points of the match, a worrying statistic about the average age of the Atlético de Madrid team came to light at the end of the game, which they were hoping to reduce this season. Atlético de Madrid is still the oldest team in terms of average age, light years ahead of its direct rivals, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona . This statistic is worrying once again in the heart of an Atlético de Madrid team whose signings do not seem to have helped reduce this worrying statistic of aging in the team.
The average age, a pending subject
With an average age of 28.9 , the starting 11 chosen yesterday by Diego Pablo Simeone was the oldest in the first matchday of LaLiga . Cholo fielded a team full of players over thirty, which completely unbalances the statistics and makes the average shoot up. Knowing that the squad is not yet complete, as Simeone himself stated at the end of the match, the Argentine hopes to reduce this insulting difference with his rivals.
With Barcelona and Valencia , clubs that rely on youth teams, at the bottom of the list, Atlético leads the way with players like Axel Witsel and César Azpilicueta starting. The red-and-white defence yesterday was well over thirty, something difficult to take in for a team that hopes to fight for everything in this campaign that has just begun. Although there are still signings to be made, the problem is more serious than it seems, especially with regard to the future of the club.
A powerful but insolvent market
The arrival of players such as Alexander Sorloth , Robin Le Normand and Julián Alvarez has not helped to reduce the high average age of the squad. Conor Gallagher and his imminent move could be a great step forward, yes, but even so, the Colchoneros still have very veteran players in the team. While waiting to be able to definitively close his squad and alternate in such a way that this average can be reduced, Simeone hopes to incorporate several players for the remainder of the transfer window.
The outings helped, although not enough
If it weren't for the departure of eight veteran players, with the exception of loans such as Carlos Martín , Simeone would have a much more experienced team than he has now. Cholo got rid of numerous players who had been with the club for years, such as Stefan Savic or Saúl Ñíguez , who were already approaching their thirties and were not performing in the same way. With the final commercial sprint still to come, Simeone has already expressed his concern to the board and hopes to be heard in order to make a final effort this transfer market.