Why Nico Gaitán is perfect for Atlético Madrid

Nico Gaitán: the man who seemed destined to become a Manchester United player is now on his way to the Vicente Calderón. Diego Simeone had previously spoken of his admiration for Nico Gaitán and so it comes as no surprise that Los Colchoneros have wasted little time handing Benfica €25m for his services, which is truly a bargain for a player of his quality in modern football. It is no secret that the reliable Argentine is a fantastic footballer, but where exactly does he fit in Atléti’s demanding system?

Article by Lebo Mwamuka

Gaitán enjoyed yet another successful campaign during the 2015/16 Portuguese Liga NOS season, as Benfica secured their 3rd consecutive league title. But it was during their UEFA Champions League campaign where Nico Gaitán truly dazzled and caught the eye of many a European club. Few Atlético fans will forget the night that Benfica secured a surprise 2-1 win over Los Colchoneros at the Calderón, with the victory largely being owed to a world-class attacking display by Nico Gaitán, where he bagged a goal and an assist. Simeone’s side boast the strongest defence in Europe, but even they could not contain the Benfica stalwart’s creativity. His silky dribbling, blistering acceleration and impressive vision put Atlético Madrid to the sword. He went on to score 4 goals and make 3 assists in 8 UEFA Champions League games, before Benfica were eliminated by Bayern München in a hard-fought quarter-final tie. It is this creativity that Simeone is yearning as he looks to add more and more technically gifted, but still hard-working, players to his side.

It appears as though, ultimately, Simeone would like for Koke and Saúl to be his central midfield pairing in the future, and therefore the signing of Gaitán allows Koke to move from his left-midfield position into the centre, alongside the captain, Gabi. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco had been an option to make the left-midfield position his own, but too often we would see an inconsistent end-product from Carrasco, and so the signing of Gaitán is logical in ensuring the pacey Belgian has competition in his position and improves his performances as a result. Nico Gaitán has also shown a willingness to put in the defensive work for his club. In his 8 Champions League appearances, he averaged 2.8 tackles per game, as well as 1.2 interceptions per game – both of these numbers surpassing those of Koke in the same competition. In Simeone’s side, defensive work is paramount, and the soon-to-be-former Benfica star would have no problem fitting into the system.

It is Gaitán’s attacking abilities, however, that truly make him stand-out as an excellent footballer. With 8 goals and 18 assists in 33 appearances in all competitions, he flourished for Benfica consistently during the 2015/16 season. He finished the Liga NOS season as the top assistman with 15 assists in just 24 starts – 1 more than Koke’s tally of 14 assists in the Liga BBVA this season. Nico Gaitán creates goals and scores them too, but his creative influence elsewhere on the pitch must not be ignored. In his 8 Champions League appearances, he averaged 2.1 key passes and 2.8 dribbles per game. His creativity and utility was unrivalled at Benfica, and he’ll surely be missed by the Portuguese giants. But Griezmann is likely foaming at the mouth at the prospect of playing alongside the talented Argentine. Griezmann has been lethal for Atlético Madrid since signing from Real Socieded, scoring a staggering 44 goals in 75 appearances in the league alone. Those numbers will almost certainly increase with Gaitán supplying the diminutive Frenchman with some of his pinpoint crosses or penetrative passes.

We’re in store for some exciting displays from Atléti this season with the arrival Nico Gaitán, and with reports linking Diego Costa with a return to Madrid, the defensively resolute red & white may show the same prowess going forward.

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