Carballo: 'There are no longer starters and subs at Atleti'

Atlético won in Vitoria, where they had not won since 2021, without Julián, Baena, Kang-in, Hancko or Pubill in the starting line-up. Alberto Carballo argues that five substitutions have made the idea of a first-choice XI obsolete and that Simeone is finally rotating wisely.

Rubén Uría explains why he is more optimistic than ever. Winning away from home had been Atlético's unfinished business, and they went to Mendizorroza, where they had not won since 2021, and did it while rotating: Julián, Baena, Kang-in, Hancko and Pubill all started on the bench. Five regular starters out, and a victory.

Alberto Carballo picks up on the idea with a view he says he has been repeating for some time: at this Atlético it makes no sense to talk about starters and substitutes, only about players who are more or less important, something Grimaldo also used to say. Five substitutions have changed the picture: there used to be one or two changes, then three, and now teams can rotate far more, share the workload, improve the quality of the minutes played and manage matches in a different way.

Carballo acknowledges that Simeone has often been criticised for hasty substitutions and for over-intervening in ways that did not pay off, citing San Mamés as an example. This season, however, he believes the coach is getting it right. He sees 15 or 16 very important players and a reliable core: he considers Cuti, Oblak, Marcos Llorente and Koke indispensable, along with Barrios when he is available.