While something was definitely lost in Arda Turan’s explanation that he wanted to leave Atletico Madrid because they “run too much”, you knew what he meant. Under Diego Simeone, the side is synonymous with running, defending, and discipline, leaving the weight of playmaking to Turan and Antoine Griezmann. The intensity of each match took on a life of its own, with equal commitment dedicated to every tackle and counter attack (and shoe toss). So whether he had meant it or not, Turan was eager enough to leave for Barcelona, Atleti’s spiritual polar opposite, and sit out until winter.

This summer marks the biggest transition period in Diego Simeone’s five years as manager of the club. Center back Joao Miranda and striker Mario Mandzukic followed Turan to less running pastures. Atleti not only replaced the departing players, but got much younger doing so - Turan with the 21-year-old Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Miranda with 24-year-old Stefan Savic, and Mandzukic with Jackson Martinez and the 21-year-old Luciano Vietto. The trend does not stop there. Look even closer, and there’s no team with a more impressive collection of players under the age of 24, and no side with more at stake who will rely more on that youth next season.

This work in building up the youth talent is the most underrated aspect of Simeone’s time with Atleti. Starting at the very back, Jan Oblak, at age 22, saved a penalty in Atleti’s Champions League quarterfinal win over Bayer Leverkusen (we know what happened the last time Simeone put his team in the hands of a 20-year-old keeper). In front of him at center back, Jose Maria Gimenez will carry the most responsibilities of the group at age 19. So gifted in checking off all the extensive boxes Simeone requires from that position, that he figures to start alongside fellow Uruguayan Diego Godin next season.

In front of them is a vast collection of attacking talent. Saul, at age 20, figures to replace Gabi as the side’s holding midfielder, with a range of passing that draws comparisons to Sergio Busquets. Back from a season on loan at Porto, 20-year-old attacking midfielder Oliver Torres has the outside-in, positional and playmaking versatility required of the side’s wide center midfielders. Ferreira Carrasco’s counter attacking ability was on full display against Arsenal in the Champions League, and he’ll find acres of open space as they defend deep in their own half. Simeone’s belief in Vietto, who scored 20 goals in 48 appearances for Villarreal last season, extends back to their days in Argentina. Lastly, the honor for the title of “The New Aguero” falls to 20-year-old Angel Correa, who figures to be the fourth striker after Martinez, Vietto, and Carrasco.    

And this is without having mentioned Koke, the crown jewel of the youth academy, and the veteran of the group at 24 years old. Atleti’s midfield will be built around him for as long as he remains with the club, which figures to be as long as Simeone is manager (you could say the same for many of these players). He already possesses the key qualities of an Atleti midfielder with his positional versatility, defensive commitment, and an ability to play the final pass.

With that sort of talent, we might forget about Turan’s farewell statement entirely.

----------- 

Rumors always swirl a manager of Simeone’s stature and quality every season. It’ll be Monaco one day, Arsenal or Manchester City the next. But by signing a contract with Atleti through 2020, the future of the club is his to shape.   

After a thrilling campaign that ended in a league title and a Champions League Finals appearance, last season was a disappointment. To be fair, Barcelona put together an all-time attack, but Atleti lacked their traditional killer steel (if you believe the rumors, they had a chance to potentially end Luis Enrique and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona careers, but instead, became the turning point to Barcelona’s season). Maybe in the past, finishing third would have been good enough. These are the new expectations under Simeone.

Filipe Luis was the most consistent left back in Europe during the run two years ago, and he returns from Chelsea. Martinez is a proven striker and the side’s most veteran attacker. But he foundational partnership of Paco Miranda and Diego Godin is no more. Raul Garcia and Gabi are a year older. Maybe Turan picked the right time to leave.

Therein lies the importance of the youth, and with that comes the next challenge of Simeone’s coaching career. We know what he can do with a group of unremarkable players in their mid-20’s, and the reason why many rate him so highly (what’s more impressive - taking a group of great players and revolutionizing the game, or turning a group of mediocre players into champions?). Yet we’ve never seen him mold a player from a young age outside of his work with Koke. In the upcoming years, we will get to see what a Simeone player truly looks like in Torres, Saul, Gimenez, and beyond.

We may end up seeing a different Atleti paradigm altogether. A midfield of Torres, Koke, and Saul complementing an attacking trio of Carrasco, Correa and Vietto would be the dynamic attack we associate more with their tiki taka rivals. They experimented with a 4-3-3 formation in preseason matches. Taken this way, Simeone’s tactics in his first five years at Atleti could be seen as the pragmatic way of getting the most out of his limited players in a way that great coaches always do. If this follows true, with the attacking potential of this next generation of Atleti players, their opponents will be the ones doing the running.