Marcos Llorente's start is surprising both fans and opponents, not only because of his stats but also because of the position he is playing in. He has scored two goals and made an assist while playing as a right wing-back, a position that even Diego Pablo Simeone admitted in DAZN's El Post that Marcos Llorente was not entirely comfortable with.
However, this year he is making a name for himself in this position and thank goodness for Diego Pablo Simeone. After Nahuel Molina's terrible performances throughout last season, the right-back position looked orphaned without reinforcements. However, Cholo has convinced Marcos Llorente that he can be decisive from the wing.
Simeone's umpteenth twist
"Highlighting the virtues of those we have in order to hide the defects and strengthen the team." This seems to be a predetermined response, but something that Simeone has very much in mind. In today's football, if the players available are not versatile, they will rarely be of any use to a coach.
This would be the third major position change for the former Spanish pivot. After the match against Liverpool at Anfield , Diego Pablo Simeone realised that he had a potential striker disguised as a defensive midfielder. He, behind Luis Suárez, was the top scorer in LaLiga won in the 2020/21 season.
Now, Marcos Llorente is a candidate for the starting wing-back position in this new-look Atlético de Madrid . In this way, he leaves a vacancy in the middle of the field for Samu Lino, Conor Gallagher or De Paul without losing the balance of the defensive block. In addition, Cholo Simeone gains a dagger on the right flank where Nahuel Molina will have to get his act together to take the Spaniard's place.
The statistic that nobody expected
There are many expectations for this season, in which Atlético de Madrid has strengthened so much and so well. In fact , comparisons have already begun with previous teams that won the championship at Atlético de Madrid. As a result of this search for similarities, our colleague Fran Martínez from Relevo revealed a surprising fact last night.
Marcos Llorente is the first midfielder to score in the first two matchdays of a La Liga season with Atlético de Madrid since Diego Pablo Simeone in the double-winning season. In that year, Simeone finished with 12 goals , exactly the same number that the Spaniard scored in the 2020/21 season.
Marcos Llorente now has a challenge ahead of him, continuing with the similarity with Cholo in that season. The Argentine midfielder, at that time, scored 9 goals in the first half of the season with Atlético de Madrid. A figure that, if Marcos Llorente achieved it, would be almost more meritorious because he did it from the right flank and not as an attacking midfielder.
