It's taken a while but @TotalAnalysis' first 20/21 magazine is now out, as is my @Atleti analysis as well!

I'll share some of my findings and leave the link to the full piece at the end, as usual.

Again, won't tag too many ppl so please RT if you like it!

#LaLiga

/THREAD/

Firstly, how do 19/20 and 20/21 Atlético Madrid compare to each other? What are some of the changes we're seeing in Diego Simeone's approach?

Data Vizzard @SathishPrasadVT has helped me with this beautiful graph depicting both.

You can see a clear improvement across the board.

Note that some of the metrics, like PPDA and xGA, should be inverted, meaning the lower the value, the better the score.

Atléti don't press as aggressively but their overall defence has somehow improved even further.

But it's the attack that's seen a drastic change.

Inspired by @jcperez_'s running xG graph, I've given it a shot myself but got stuck and had to call in another Vizzard @ToniBila17 to help me with this beauty you can see below.

It does seem like Atlético Madrid's xG has seen a constant increase and the trend is still alive.

They peaked at the end of 19/20, namely post-break last season, but are still maintaining a high level of overperformance across the board.

More interesting, however, is the shift to a more positional team, which is what I've attempted to demonstrate next.

Here, by measuring long passes per 100 passes and possession %, I wanted to see which teams classify as more direct and which as positional.

Interestingly, while that usually wouldn't be the case, now Atlético Madrid are firmly in the lower right quadrant.

Change in philosophy?

Very much so. Not only are they more positional, but their lethality in attack has also increased significantly.

This is courtesy of a shift in tactics, but also players like João Félix finally coming to life and the addition of former @FCBarcelona star Luis Suárez.

Proof?

Here is a chart measuring xG per 90 and goal-creating chances per 90.

You want your team to be in the top-right quadrant among the most proficient chance-creators.

Intriguingly, while also overperforming their xG, Atlético Madrid top the charts in goal-creating chances per 90!

Within the full piece, I'll detail the most important pieces of their attack but here, without wanting to spoil too much, let's just leave it at that!

Their offensive approach, however, is based on what I called 'pressure points'.

For Simeone, it's the half-space where they...

Want to find key players like Félix or Ángel Correa and then deploy the ball into the danger areas.

Here's a graphical representation of such a setup. Three in the back, two midfielders close by but on different height, and two key pieces in half-spaces.

A winning formula?

Still, it wouldn't matter much if their defence wasn't as good. Luckily, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it is.

In fact, it's the best in @LaLiga by far. Here's a scatter plot that confirms it.

Atlético Madrid are defensive giants.

In other news, though, water is wet, right?

Rojiblancos don't concede many chances and, alongside Real Sociedad and Sevilla, are the only positional teams who are also not error-prone.

They tally the lowest xGA per 90 in the league while also registering really low errors leading to goal per 90.

Remarkable!

If you want to read more about their pure tactical setups, players excelling in certain roles and overall performance, please visit the link below.

As usual, RT, like, comment etc. if you liked this thread.

It really means a lot and thanks for reading! https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/diego-simeone-atletico-madrid-2020-21-tactical-analysis-tactics

Cc: @RussellPope99 @AtleticoFans @captainkoke @LaLigaLowdown @atletienglish @atleticorner @MarcusBr22 @TacticoModerno @lambertsmarc @samleveridge @sidlowe @andywest01

Really don't know many more ATM accounts or just ppl who'd like to see this so tag them here if you do!