The Atlético Madrid Academy is a renowned institution for its excellence in football development.
The Academy stands as a testament to the club’s dedication to youth development.
Founded with a vision to instil the club’s values and playing philosophy, it has become a hotbed of talent, producing some of the game’s most illustrious names.
Some of the famous names to graduate from Atléi’s youth system include Fernando Torres, who, of course, went on to play for both Liverpool and Chelsea.
El Niño is now making a name for himself on the touchline as he returned to the club to take charge of Atlético de Madrid Juvenil.
Other well-known players include Koke, Saúl Ñiguez and former Manchester United keeper David de Gea.
It’s fair to say the Atléti Academy has produced many players who have gone on to make an indelible mark on the footballing world, adorning the rosters of top clubs and national teams.
This tactical analysis will take the form of a scout report, highlighting three gems who have the potential to break through at the Wanda Metropolitano.
We will showcase the individual skill sets of this new generation of prodigious talents emerging from the club’s revered academy and consider what they bring to the team’s overall tactics.
Gabriel Suarez Castrelo Scouting Report
The first player we are going to look at in this analysis is midfielder Gabriel Suarez Castrelo.
He is a versatile player who can be deployed in the centre of the pitch or out on the left due to his excellent ball-carrying abilities.
Here, we can see the young midfielder out on the left wing.
He receives a pass from his teammate and uses his close control and a short burst of acceleration to bypass his opponent.
Castrelo averages 1.93 take-ons per 90, which is in keeping with him being primarily deployed as a central midfielder; we expect this number to be higher if he was playing on the left for a significant period.
He can confidently beat his man and carry the ball forward for Atléti.
With his ability to bypass opposition players through dribbling prowess, Castrelo can drive his team deep into the opponent’s territory, forcing defenders to commit and leaving spaces for teammates to exploit.
Moreover, his one-on-one skills can inject momentum and energy into the team’s play.
The dynamic movement and unpredictability of Castrelo’s play can unsettle opposing defenders, causing them to second-guess their positioning while he progresses Atléti’s play forward.
The midfielder averages an 80% pass accuracy rate per 90 minutes, enabling him to dictate play.
Additionally, he averages 0.74 key passes per 90, indicating Castrelo carves out shooting opportunities for teammates.
Furthermore, Castrelo always manages to find pockets of space between the opposition lines, as we can see here.
This means the young midfielder often provides a viable passing option for teammates possessing the ball.
This ability to create passing lanes and angles facilitates fluid ball circulation, enabling Atléti to maintain possession effectively and dictate the tempo of the game, controlling proceedings from the centre of the pitch.
He becomes the pivotal link between the defensive and attacking phases of play.
We can see his strategic positioning between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines, meaning he can receive the ball in the attacking third, turn and run at the opponent.
Additionally, he serves as a creative hub and playmaker for the Atlético Madrid team.
He can receive the ball in dangerous positions, allowing him to orchestrate attacks, thread incisive passes, and unlock stubborn defences with his vision, awareness, and technical ability.
Castrelo also provides Atlético Madrid with a goal threat from midfield, as shown here.
He makes well-timed runs into the box and is able to connect with a knockdown from his teammate.
He adds a potent attacking dimension to the team’s play as he has a knack for arriving late into the box and making well-timed runs into goal-scoring positions.
This off-the-ball movement creates additional problems for opposing defenders, as they must track the midfielder’s movements while also dealing with other attacking threats.
As a result, it disrupts the opposing defence, creating spaces for Castrelo and his teammates to exploit.
Defensively, Castrelo steps out of the midfield area to press the opponents as they look to play out of defence.
By applying pressure high up the pitch, the Atléti midfielder forces the opposing defenders into hurried decisions and errors, increasing the likelihood of regaining possession in dangerous areas and launching quick counterattacks.
Consequently, Castrelo’s tenacious approach results in him averaging 3.4 tackles per 90 minutes and 5.4 ball recoveries per 90 minutes.
The 17-year-old midfielder is a hard-working player who does not shy away from a battle with his opponents.
Omar Janneh Scouting Report
The next player we are going to look at in this scout report is 17-year-old forward Omar Janneh.
Janneh possesses an abundance of pace, which makes it incredibly difficult for opponents to track his movements.
Here, the young forward confidently charges forward while his opponent struggles to follow Janneh’s run.
As a result, Janneh is on hand to turn his teammate’s cross goalwards with ease.
His combination of pace and strength enables the young centre forward to outmuscle opposition defenders and burst past defensive lines with his explosive speed.
Janneh’s ability to accelerate away from markers and create separation makes him a constant threat in behind the defence, stretching the opposition and creating space for himself and his teammates to exploit in the attacking third.
Additionally, the young centre forward’s propensity to make runs into the box adds a dynamic dimension to the team’s attacking play as he offers a focal point for teammates to aim at.
By making well-timed and intelligent runs, he provides his team with viable passing options and creates goal-scoring opportunities through his movement and positioning.
Janneh is a constant goal threat, averaging 3.2 shots per 90 with 1.74 on target per 90.
The Atléti striker is definitely a box forward, as the majority of his shots occur from within the penalty area.
Furthermore, his profile is similar to Samu Omorodion’s; he’s not overly involved in the buildup but comes alive in the opposition penalty area.
Much like Omorodion, Janneh is an intense presser who knows how to use his physical presence to disrupt the opposition defenders when they are trying to play out of defence.
We can see here that the centre forward and his teammate put the opponent under severe pressure, which forces a turnover.
Upon recovering possession, Janneh charges forward into the penalty area, where he unleashes a powerful shot at goal.
The centre forward’s pace and strength make him a constant source of pressure for the opposition defenders.
This keeps said opposition defences on their toes, preventing them from settling into a comfortable shape as they look to play out.
Moreover, Janneh’s pace and strength contribute to his effectiveness in transitional moments, allowing him to lead Atléti’s counterattacks and capitalise on turnovers in possession.
By quickly transitioning from defence to attack and making penetrating runs behind the opposition’s lines, he can catch them off guard and create goal-scoring opportunities through swift and incisive attacking play, as we can see in the example above.
The young forward thrives when putting opponents under pressure.
He averages 2.0 ground duels per 90 and 3.8 ball recoveries per 90, demonstrating his enjoyment of battling with opposing defenders to force turnovers.
Additionally, he provides a wonderful aerial threat, which Athléti uses to launch long passes upfield.
They count on Janneh to win the aerial battle due to his strength, 1.87-metre frame, and jumping reach.
Averaging 4.6 aerial duels per 90, Janneh is an ideal target for long balls upfield or crosses into the box.
On this occasion, he wins the battle using his body orientation to ensure the opposition player cannot get in front of him.
Janneh then nods the ball down to his teammate, and Atléti are on the attack.
As we can see here, Janneh is quite good at finding space to receive passes.
However, he is not very reliable when it comes to carrying the ball forward.
He will often turn and attempt to run directly at his opponent, which often results in him losing possession.
In this instance, he has space to turn into, which allows him to get his head up; however, when he sees no viable passing lanes, he is unable to beat his opponent one-on-one.
Given his abilities as a box striker, the fact that this area of his game is lacking is no real surprise, and at 17 years old, he has plenty of time to improve.
Samuel Almarza Bayón Scouting Report
The final player we will look at is 17-year-old central defender Samuel Almarza Bayón.
The young defender reads the game exceptionally well, which proves to be very useful when Athlético Madrid U19S are caught on the counter by their opponents.
We can see here that Bayón has a good burst of acceleration, which allows him to track back quickly and effectively.
Bayón gets back into the Atléti penalty area and ensures he remains in front of his opponent so he can intercept the cross and clear his lines.
His ability to anticipate and intercept opposition attacks mitigates the need for desperate last-ditch tackles.
By reading the game with precision and foresight, the centre-back also positions himself proactively to cut out passes and anticipates the movements of opposing attackers, snuffing out potential threats before they materialise, thereby thwarting the opponent’s offensive intentions and maintaining his team’s defensive stability.
Furthermore, as we can see, he understands the danger well and covers for teammates in vulnerable areas, thus providing an added layer of defensive insurance and protection.
Whether it’s providing support to a teammate caught out of position or tracking the movements of opposition attackers, Bayón’s tactical awareness and reading of the game enable him to plug any gaps in the defensive line and minimise the risks to Atlético.
Bayón is a proactive defender who looks to put his opponent under pressure as soon as they receive the ball.
We can see here that he steps up and closes down the opposing player, preventing him from controlling the ball and turning.
This limits the opposition’s ability to launch an attack as the player is forced to pass backwards, allowing Atléti to press the opponents and eventually force a turnover.
When Bayón and Atlético Madrid recover the ball in advanced areas of the pitch, they can quickly transition from defence to attack and launch counterattacks, catching the opposition off guard and exploiting their defensive vulnerabilities.
This relieves pressure on the team’s defence and has the potential to lead to goal-scoring opportunities.
The young defender also dominates his aerial battles, winning 3.7 of his 4.6 aerial duels per 90.
In this instance, he not only ensures the opposition doesn’t win the ball in the air.
Bayón also directs his header to a teammate who can turn and carry the team up the pitch.
Additionally, Bayón’s prowess in winning aerial duels provides a crucial defensive barrier against high balls and crosses into the box.
The centre-back effectively nullifies the threat posed by opposing forwards and wingers.
His ability to command aerially, in and around the penalty area, instils confidence and reassurance within the team’s defensive unit, creating a cohesive barrier.
The young defender is very confident with the ball at his feet and remains extremely cool under pressure.
In this example, he confidently bypasses the pressure from the opponent and carries the ball out of defence.
Bayón’s ability to take on opponents and carry the ball out of defence provides a valuable means of bypassing pressure and initiating attacking moves from deep.
By dribbling past opposing forwards, as shown above, the central defender can advance the ball into midfield areas, thus breaking the lines of the opposition’s structure and evading their press.
Moreover, this adds an extra dimension to Atlético Madrid U19s attacking play, offering a dynamic and unpredictable outlet for ball progression.
Bayón’s willingness to take risks and drive forward with the ball not only creates space and opportunities for teammates to exploit in advanced areas but also puts pressure on opposing players to engage and close him down, thus creating gaps and openings for other players to exploit.
Additionally, his ability to take on opponents and carry the ball out of defence relieves pressure on his team’s midfielders and forwards, allowing them to receive the ball in more advanced positions and focus on creating goal-scoring opportunities.
By drawing defenders out of position and committing opposition players to engage him, the young central defender creates space and time for teammates, facilitating Atléti’s attacking play and goal-scoring potential.
Conclusion
This scout report has highlighted an impressive trio of talents within the Atlético Madrid youth system, whom we believe you should watch out for in the future.
Gabriel Suarez Castrelo, with his dynamic presence in midfield, brings a unique blend of creativity and goal-scoring threat.
His ability to find pockets of space and make well-timed runs into the box adds a dimension to the team’s attacking play, while his technical prowess and vision make him a valuable asset in dictating the tempo of the game.
Omar Janneh, a formidable presence up front, combines speed and power to devastating effect.
His intensity and relentless pressing unsettle opposition defenders, while his proficiency in the penalty area makes him a constant goal-scoring threat.
With his ability to stretch defences and capitalise on scoring opportunities, Janneh adds a potent goalscoring threat to the team’s attacking line.
Finally, Samuel Bayon brings composure and intelligence to the backline.
His astute reading of the game allows him to anticipate opposition attacks and intervene decisively.
At the same time, his strength and ability to carry the ball out of defence provide a valuable outlet for initiating attacks from deep.
These three players exemplify the talent and potential nurtured within the Atletico Madrid academy.
Please keep an eye out for them, as they are certainly ones to watch for potential first-team opportunities in the near future.
