The youth squad player, who replaced the injured Koke after 5 minutes in the league debut, withdrew from the last training session due to discomfort
Witsel will be in charge of occupying this controversial position in the next game
The last training session of Atlético de Madrid brought worrying news. Pablo Barrios, who took over from Koke in the league debut after an injury to the captain at the start of the game, withdrew early from training due to discomfort.
The accumulation of untimely injuries in the pivot position, which in just a few days has seen the casualties of Koke and Barrios, It does nothing more than agree with Simeone. The Argentine coach has been demanding an effort from Atlético Madrid for some time in the transfer market, with Hojbjerg being his preferred option, but so far the club has shown no signs of intending to satisfy his demand.
With the market giving its last blows and an alarming lack of troops in that area, Simeone will choose to give the pivot keys to Witsel. Despite being his natural position, in which he has added the most minutes throughout his career, the Atlético de Madrid coach does not conceive of the Belgian as a midfielder, but as a central defender.
Despite this conception, Simeone has already rehearsed in training with Witsel as a pivot. With the Belgian starting from a further back position, Llorente will occupy the interior and Azpilicueta will be displaced to the band.