Recreate Diego Simeone's 2020/21 Atletico Madrid 4-4-2 in FM26 with tactical analysis, player roles, team instructions and elite results.
In 2021, Real Madrid and Barcelona's La Liga duopoly was brought to a halt as Diego Simeone and his Atletico Madrid side found a title-winning formula for the first time since the 2013/14 season.
It was a stunning campaign that saw Atleti race into a substantial 10-point lead at the summit by the halfway point of the season, demonstrating just how scintillating they were that season. But how did Simeone and his Atleti side manage to finally overthrow the dominant duo at the peak of Spanish football?
Atleti's Timely Tactical Shift
It's not uncommon for the first thing you think of, upon hearing the famous Atletico Madrid club name, to be a side that is hyper-focused on defensive football; after all, Diego Simeone made his tactical ideology very quickly known to many around Europe and, thus, it just as quickly became embedded in the Atletico Madrid DNA.
However, in 20/21, Simeone's side underwent a timely tactical evolution. Unlike years prior, Atletico Madrid were increasingly trying to build up play from the back, using shorter passes and controlling the game with the ball at their feet.
This was, in part, due to Luís Suarez's arrival from Barcelona - the Uruguayan and his strike partner (Felix or Correa) were not the best aerial targets and actually preferred to receive the ball to feet much more often. The result of this tactical shift was a slight increase in Atletico Madrid's average possession per 90.
Modernizing Their Possession Game
In accordance with this shift towards a more possession-based style of play, Atletico Madrid's in-possession system oversaw some crucial adaptations to align with the tactical norm in elite football.
In previous iterations of Simeone's Atletico Madrid, when they had the ball for sustained periods, both wingers or wide midfielders in their 4-4-2 formation would invert into the half-spaces, allowing the full-backs to hold the width, giving Atleti something of a 2-2-4-2 shape in possession.
However, in 20/21, there were a few tweaks made. First and foremost, the 20/21 season saw the arrival of the back-three in possession for Atleti. This would consist of the left-back, often Mario Hermoso, remaining deeper alongside the two centre-backs, whilst the right-back - usually Kieran Trippier - would advance higher and wider.
In accordance with the latter movement, Atleti's right winger or right midfielder would move inside, whilst one of the two central midfielders would drop deeper to form a fluid 3-diamond-3 - the creation of which was additionally aided by one of the strikers, usually Felix, dropping off the frontline - shape, as showcased in the example below:
Let's Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
From build-up, Oblak would typically distribute the ball to the centre-backs to initiate Atleti's new possession-based game. However, if the opposition were pressing high aggressively, the keeper and backline were more than happy to bypass said press.
Upon reaching the final third, a large part of Atleti's game was based on finding Trippier overlapping on the right side and having their wide players swinging crosses into the penalty area. In general, Simeone's side emphasised playing at a higher tempo, moving the ball into wider areas to facilitate a lot of their ruthless wing play in possession.
Finally, upon regaining possession, Atleti were unforgiving in their counter-attacks.
Out of Possession
When Atleti didn't have the ball for sustained periods, their defensive solidity and unwavering commitment from prior years remained, as they would sit off in a compact mid-block.
To close the space in midfield, the defensive line would be positioned higher up the pitch, whilst the side worked as a complete unit to force the opposition into wide areas of the pitch, wherefrom Atleti could use the touchline as an extra player to contain the opposition's attacking advances.
Finally, upon losing the ball, Atleti would look to counter-press immediately to try and regain possession as soon as possible.
Opposition Instructions (General)
Opposition Instructions (vs Back-Three)
Player Roles
If you want a broader look at how these roles combine in different systems, check my FM26 Role Synergy Guide.
Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper
Oblak's role, in this system, remained the same as years prior: focusing on his shot-stopping responsibilities.
Wing-Back | Full-Back
In this system, Trippier was asked to move higher and wider on the right side. From here, upon receiving the ball, he wouldn't tend to take on the opposition's full-back, rather opting to cross the ball into the box or, from deeper positions, find the underlapping run from Llorente with a riskier pass.
Alternatively, Trippier could, at times, go more direct. Finally, in the 20/21 season, both full-backs in Atleti's system averaged the highest number of tackles per 90.
(DCR & DCL) Centre-Back | Centre-Back
Both centre-backs, in this system, focused almost entirely on their defensive responsibilities.
Inside Full-Back | Full-Back
From his revised role of being a left-back, Mario Hermoso was Atleti's primary deep progressor of the ball. In this position, he would stay deeper to help form Atleti's new, aforementioned back-three formation in possession - however, he could move higher and wider at times as Atleti used a lot of rotations on the left side.
With the ball at his feet, Hermoso would almost always look to progress play one way or another. This could come from him carrying the ball forward, or breaking the lines with a progressive, direct pass into the attacking midfield or forward line.
Deep-Lying Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder
Koke, in this position, would typically remain deeper and dictate the tempo for Atleti, moving side to side to find pockets to receive the ball in or, alternatively, just coming towards the ball to receive. Upon receiving the ball, Koke would often go direct.
Box-to-Box Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder
Beside Koke, Saul could also drop deeper at times, in build-up, to help facilitate Atleti's possession game. However, as Atleti would progress up the pitch, Saul would also move higher and, typically, reside within the left half-space.
Attacking Midfielder | Wide Midfielder
Marcos Llorente was, for sure, one of the biggest individual beneficiaries of Atleti's system change, as he conjured up 23 goal contributions in La Liga this season.
In this particular system, he would remain inside and occupy the right half-space. From here, he would provide Trippier with unselfish, underlapping runs constantly. If he were to receive the ball during his underlapping runs, he could reach the byline and cut the ball across for Suarez to tap in.
However, Marcos Llorente wasn't restricted to the right half-space, as he was given licence to roam from his position to find optimal positions between the lines. Finally, both wide midfielders in Atleti's 4-4-2 mid-block were the primary aggressors in closing down the opposition.
Winger | Wide Midfielder
On the left side, Carrasco was the side's nominal width holder - however, he would often cut inside, allowing Hermoso to hold the width situationally, leading to Atleti's potent left-side rotations.
Upon receiving the ball, Carrasco would look to take on the opposition's right-back before trying to reach the byline to cut the ball back for Suarez. Finally, like Llorente, Carrasco was given licence to roam from his position often.
Deep-Lying Forward | Centre Forward
In this position, Suarez's strike partner would drop off the frontline regularly to help form Atleti's 3-diamond-3 shape in possession. From here, upon receiving the ball, said strike partner could take the ball on the half-turn and carry forward.
Poacher | Centre Forward
Luis Suárez arrived at Atletico Madrid in 2020, joining the club from domestic rivals FC Barcelona, and completely revolutionised Atleti, as he scored 21 La Liga goals to guide his side to a seemingly unlikely title win.
In this system, he was asked to simply lead the frontline with aplomb. He could, at times, run the channels to free up central space for Llorente behind to crash into; however, his primary focus was on scoring goals.
Finally, upon receiving the ball, Suarez would often look to hold up the ball in order to bring others into play. If you enjoy striker-focused systems, you can also read my Target Forward guide.
Results
La Liga
In testing with Atletico Madrid on FM26, we managed to eclipse the success Simeone's side achieved in real life, as we accumulated a stunning 97 points in the league, winning 30 of our 38 games and losing just once all season.
Across our 38 league games, we scored 94 goals (2.47 goals per game) and conceded just 17 goals (0.44 goals per game) - the league's best for each.
Domestic Cups
We won our first piece of silverware for the season in the Supercopa de España, as we beat local rivals Real Madrid 1-0 in the Final.
On our way to the Final, we were obliged to overcome FC Barcelona, whom we beat on penalties after an initial 1-1 draw. We certainly had Barcelona's number in testing, as another victory over them - this time a 1-0 win - saw us secure our third trophy of the season, the Copa del Rey.
On our way to the Final, we beat the likes of Real Madrid (1-2), Albacete (6-0 AGG), and Almeria (1-3).
UEFA Champions League
History made. Our dream of a QUADRUPLE was brought to life as we beat Arsenal 2-1 to win the very trophy that has consistently eluded Simeone and his squad over the years.
On our way to the utmost of success, we overcame Liverpool (1-0 AGG), Sporting (3-5 AGG), and Bayern Munich (4-2 AGG), after having finished 4th in the League Phase.
Conclusion
After seven more years of Real Madrid and Barcelona's joint dominance at the summit of Spanish football, Diego Simeone and his robust Atletico Madrid side finally had their time in the limelight, as they won the La Liga title in a stunning season for the club.
Nowadays, in real life, Atletico Madrid are far more accustomed to a possession-based game, and that is all thanks to their crucial, timely tactical tweaks in 20/21 - it was success in the short term, and it may have bred success in the long term too.
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article. You can also check out my related piece on Simeone's Atletico Madrid 24/25 tactics.
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