Conor Gallagher is at the centre of Atlético Madrid’s charge up La Liga

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Andrea Berta left Atlético Madrid earlier this month after a decade as the club’s sporting director. As a parting gift, he ​gave Diego Simeone a treasure chest of new signings. Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sørloth, Julián Alvarez and Conor Gallagher arrived during an unprecedented summer of spending by the club. Clément Lenglet was added as a free agent and Giuliano Simeone was promoted to the first team to complete a squad the likes of which Atlético fans have not seen for a very long time.

The new players are having an impact. Atléti have won their last 14 games, the longest winning run in the club’s history. They are top of La Liga and guaranteed at least a place in the playoffs of the Champions League. What’s more exciting is that the team looks refreshed. The new signings are close to their prime years, with Gallagher and Alvarez, both 24, still only really getting started. The injection of energy means Simeone can push the limits of his squad.

​W​e all know the style ​that elevated Atlético into the elite: 4-4-2 in a low block, defend as if your dinner depended on it, and counter with dizzying speed. It’s 2025 and it might feel like it’s time to park those ideas of Cholismo.​ But the central theme of Simeone’s time at the club has been one of forced evolution – the system’s success made it difficult for him to drop its central principles. Atléti became too good to play purely counter-attacking football yet, at the same time, Simeone found it hard to​ let go of the demands he makes on players.

The attack is only as good as the players are hardworking. So, Berta’s job was to trawl the transfer market for players who work hard enough off the ball while improving the team technically when they have it. Gallagher fits that mould perfectly. He is the club’s most comprehensively Diego Simeone player since the days of old-school foot soldiers​ such as Diego Godín and Gabi.

The age profile of the Atlético Madrid squad
The age profile of the Atlético Madrid squad.

Gallagher’s remit

For those who ​remember Gallagher​ making late gallops into the penalty area and pick​ing up loose balls around the box for Crystal Palace and Chelsea, watching him in Spain might seem like an aberration. Not since his days under Sam Allardyce at West Brom​ has he done as much heavy lifting in defence as he has this season.

​H​e still offers bursts of creativity, but he is touching the ball just 0.94 times per 90​ minutes in the opposition box. That’s the lowest number of his career. But he was not signed to create or score goals. He is attempting just 11.4 forward passes per 90 minutes​; ​his midfield partner Rodrigo De Paul, for example, is attempting 23.5.

Gallagher’s 3.0 progressive carries pale in comparison to De Paul’s 9.5. Among Atlético players to have played at least 500 minutes, the Englishman is 13th in chances created per 90 with 0.31. Only Jan Oblak, the centre-backs Lenglet, José Giménez, Axel Witsel and Le Normand and the back-up left-back, Reinildo, are creating fewer.

It’s a really low-volume role, too, with just 42.2 passes per 90 during Gallagher’s 860 minutes in La Liga – 13 fewer than last season. That’s 52nd among regular midfielders in the league and it shows you where Simeone wants him to focus his attention.

Conor Gallagher’s touches in open play
Conor Gallagher’s touches in open play.

A cursory glance at his touch maps from this season and last shows the difference in how and where he is playing. His defensive actions have increased, and where he is making an impact defensively adds another layer to the story. Gallagher plays a hybrid role on the left of midfield, where he can play as a traditional left midfielder or drop into a back five as a left-back, with Javi Galán tucking in to play as a left centre-back. The left-back position has been a particularly problematic area for Simeone since Lucas Hernández left the club for Bayern Munich back in 2019.

It’s a big part of the reason he started playing a back five with wing-backs in the first place. He couldn’t find a single player who could be an attacking threat while maintaining the defensive responsibilities to play left-back. Galán plays there now but, while he has the first part covered, he has defensive weaknesses.

Gallagher makes it work. He has no problem drifting inside, vacating the entire wing for Galán to get forward while still being useful; his in-possession stats might be low volume but they are not no volume. Likewise, he can push forward and play wide on the left, crashing into the box when the switch is on or pressing an opposition player to make sure they don’t progress the ball unimpeded.

There’s a new dynamism to how Atlético play out of possession, which is part of the reason why Simeone wanted a player like Gallagher. They can still sit and soak up pressure. They only have 132 high turnovers this season, which is slightly below the league average and fewer than they had last season. They’re very specific about when they do press and have also slightly increased their sequences containing at least 10 passes from last year. They are slowly shifting towards a more controlled state.

But on the ball, Gallagher is more of a space creator and decoy than a genuine threat. We regularly see him drifting into the centre to either make space for Galán to race forward or for Alvarez to drop into.

The selflessness required to earn minutes under Simeone means that, while Gallagher’s season might not be one of headline-making performances and personal accolades, he is playing a role that allows others to be at their best too.

Gallagher the facilitator

Marcos Llorente has been able to settle at right-back with Gallagher in the squad. The 29-year-old used to be moved around the field to cover for teammates. Last season he played everywhere from central midfield to left midfield and even as a striker. Sometimes he played several positions in the same 90 minutes. That led to frustration, confusion and an inability to create connections with teammates. The constant moving put a ceiling on how good Atlético could be. This season, however, Atlético’s right-hand side is as potent as any in Europe.

This is where you find Antoine Griezmann working his creative magic. With Llorente driving forward and De Paul pulling strings from this area of the field, Atlético have found the formula and balance to break down any team. It’s no coincidence that De Paul is having his best season in red and white. His passing numbers – passes attempted, forward passes, through balls and passes into the box – are all up, whereas his tackling numbers and interceptions have gone in the other direction. Since Gallagher’s arrival, Atlético’s best players have been able to focus on what they do best.

Marcos Llorente’s positions
Marcos Llorente’s positions.

They have become a more dangerous team, producing their highest xG per game (1.77) since Simeone took over. Their xG against (0.96) is higher than usual but it has gone down from last year (1.16 per game). Crucially, their overall xG difference per game (+0.81) is the best it has ever been under the Argentinian.

When Simeone first emerged as a world-class coach, his style was a revelation in a world filled with gegenpressing and possession football. He shunned those ideas but, as the team became more successful, it was clear he would eventually have to build a team that could switch gears.

They would, at times, have to be the protagonists, prodding and poking at low blocks just as they had once been prodded and poked. Simeone has built and rebuilt teams on a platform that still contains the same principles as his original title-winning side: self-sacrifice, hard work and energy.

This is a new era for Atléti but the keys to success under Simeone are the same as always. Gallagher is proving the ideal prototype for this exciting new dawn.

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