Atletico Madrid are shaping up well for the season ahead, having reinforced their backline with no fewer than four signings. Perhaps the pick of the bunch is Javi Galan.
Along with Santiago Mourino, Cesar Azpilicueta and Caglar Soyuncu, Atletico have spent less than €10m to add significant competition to their backline.
Galan is without doubt the most attacking of them all, and looks set to battle with Yannick Carrasco for a role on the left flank. Like Carrasco, Galan was moved deeper several years ago, and has gone from strength to strength. He told Diario AS that Diego Simeone is asking him for a variety different things to his role at Celta Vigo though.
“Above all tactical things, of the team. In the end I am new here and they are different concepts from other teams I have been in. I’m taking them in little by little, especially learning, learning a lot.”
Galan then let slip that Atletico are working on two or three variants of the same formation for next season.
“Above all, getting used to playing in a line of three, in a line of five, in a line of four. In the end I can give him that versatility, I think.”
In general, it was his positioning that caused Galan the most strife when adapting to the left-back/left wingback role. He will be asked to be solid first at the Civitas Metropolitano.
“Tactically learning concepts is difficult. Getting accustomed to the timing of things, when they began to reconvert me I was going at yellow a game (smile). I was going so hard that it was difficult for me. I have learned to time things better, and tactically to be more compact, knowing when to read each situation.”
Last season Atletico Madrid ended up playing more of four than a five, but with Mario Hermoso coming inside rather than out. Of course, these positions are not fixed, and depending on the game, they will look different from week to week. Yet the fact Galan mentions all three different backlines means that Simeone is consciously considering using different systems.
