Atletico Madrid entered the offseason in somewhat of a La Liga soccer purgatory as they were still considered a fringe title contender but not nearly good enough to actually take down Barcelona or Real Madrid at the top of the table. A big part of the problem was their terrible record against those teams and there was never any doubt they needed upgrades in order to get to where they wanted to be. A busy summer included a sneaky move in the addition of centreback Stefan Savic from Fiorentina and while that move might not have gotten a ton of attention, there is no denying it is an absolute steal for Atletico Madrid.
Height Will Help Atletico In The Air
Following a brief stint at Manchester City, Savic has created a strong reputation for himself over three seasons in the Serie A. The Montenegrin isn’t as strong as players like Diego Godin and Miranda, but he certainly has the height and he has thrived based on his athleticism and positional awareness.
The combination of being so tall and athletic also makes him a threat moving forward in to the opposition penalty area where he can contribute. Savic actually led the Serie A in aerials won over the past two seasons and that is a unique asset that will really help Atletico Madrid at both ends of the pitch this season. He won’t dominate the box the way Godin can but instead he will rely on positional savvy and dominate with balls in the air in La Liga this season. This is a team that had just 67 goals last season, which isn’t bad, but considering that number was 43 tallies less than Barcelona and 51 less than Real Madrid, and you realize that this team needs as much offense as it can get.
Replacing Miranda
Savic will step in to the position vacated by Miranda, who left for Inter Milan this summer. Savic is a very different player than Miranda with the latter being more of a rugged, aggressive defender while Savic always seems cool and collected. Some have compared his style to that of former Atletico defender Toby Alderweireld, who spent last season on loan to Southampton and was eventually sold to Tottenham after he told the club he would like to continue to play in the Premier League.
Both Savic and Alderweireld are strong at the defensive end and they have a similar ease on the ball that makes for an obvious comparison. It will be very interesting to see if he is immediately made a first choice for Diego Simeone’s starting XI. Regardless, he will not only help their depth but bolster their defense. Atletico allowed just 29 goals last season, which isn’t a bad number, but still not nearly as good as Barcelona, whose 21 paced the league.
The defense lacked quality in matchups specifically with Barcelona as they scored eight goals in four meetings. They gave up 2.0 goals per game in those meetings but allowed just 0.62 per game to everyone else.
There is a good chance Savic starts behind Godin and Jose Gimenez. Savic is likely to be the first defender off the bench to start the season and he will undoubtedly push Gimenez for a starting role this season.
[related_post_one]
Good Player, Great Price
The details of the acquisition make the addition of Savic that much more impressive as they were able to get him for just seven million euros. Atletico Madrid will once again have its hands full against some of the best attacking players in the entire world this season and depth on their back end is absolutely integral. Atletico Madrid is poised to take a step forward following a focused offseason and while it hasn’t been talked about as much as it probably should be, the addition of Savic was an absolute steal.
