As incredible as it may seem, defence has been one of Atlético de Madrid 's biggest problems in recent years. The club lost its most significant identity since Diego Pablo Simeone took over the reins of the team, something that they decided to end this summer. To do so, players such as Mario Hermoso , Stefan Savic and Gabriel Paulista left the team, while Robin Le Normand and Clément Lenglet arrived as replacements .
All of this, obviously, counting on Axel Witsel, Jose María Giménez, César Azpilicueta and Reinildo Mandava improving their performance for the 24/25 season. Something that, for the moment, seems to have happened, as the red-and-whites are going through a sweet moment with respect to their defensive performance. One of the main reasons has been, among other things, the good form of the Mozambican footballer, who has counted (and a lot) for Simeone at the start of LaLiga .
Count again for Cholo
Reinildo Mandava 's continuity at Atlético de Madrid was up in the air after his drop in performance once he recovered from his knee injury. However, the Mozambican has risen like a phoenix to once again win the trust of Diego Pablo Simeone , who has confessed that the player's performance is being very important for everyone. In fact, the centre-back has been a starter in two of the four games that the club has played to date.
In the other two, against Girona and Espanyol , ReinildoMandava played 22 and 17 minutes respectively, as well as playing the full ninety minutes against Athletic Club at SanMamés . His versatility in playing as a centre-back and left-back makes him an important piece for Cholo , who has a reliable replacement in the 30-year-old centre-back. In addition, he has once again performed several times that were reminiscent of the Reinildo who had captivated the Metropolitano before his injury, making him a much-needed "signing" at the Metropolitano.
Clément Lenglet, waiting
Meanwhile, the French centre-back who arrived from FC Barcelona on loan has yet to make his debut for the red-and-whites. Despite having been called up for the last few matches, Diego Pablo Simeone has not yet had to use Clément Lenglet . Every time he had to move a piece in defence, Axel Witsel or Reinildo Mandava have been the ones chosen by the Argentine coach.
However, it is something that Clément Lenglet knew he would have to deal with. And with the great level of Jose María Giménez , César Azpilicueta and Robin Le Normand , together with the trust placed in the Belgian centre-back and the Mozambican, there are difficulties. So, we will have to wait a little longer to see the Frenchman playing his first minutes with Atlético , something that will happen sooner or later with the tight schedule.