There were reports at the start of the season that Ancelotti wanted Ronaldo to play more central with little or no defensive responsibility, but I always thought he played as a CF like Henry used to despite generally being regarded as a left winger/left wing forward. Yeah Benzema doesn't play as an out and out striker, he is the link man in their front 3, their wide players are very direct. Despite not playing at his best, Benzema is the ideal striker for their front 3 IMO. I think they'll look very 1 dimensional with say someone like Falcao in place of Benzema.
Watched a re-run of Villareal vs Atletico the other day: Very good football match. Athletico took an early lead from a quality Juanfran cross, but after that it was all Villareal. However they struggled to break down the stubborn Atletico defence (they hardly give away chances), they continued probing and eventually got a deserved equaliser with few minutes to go.
Glad Villareal are back, they still play that fast pace possession style football - very good to watch. It's amazing Bruno and Cani are still there, they are easily good enough for CL teams IMO.
Athletico are up there with Dortmund as the hardest working teams in Europe. They drop deep and defend in large numbers, very compact, but they are all in their positions within the blink of an eye as soon as they win the ball - sign of a quality team.
I dunno why Gabi never stood out to me, but I really like him under Simeone. He's a very intelligent midfielder with good passing skills - he's their Arteta.
Koke is our ideal rosicky replacement. He combines the technique, vision etc of Spanish midfielders with fierce tackling, work-rate, never say die attitude of English players. He's very versatile; can play in CM,behind the striker, on the wings, and I think I have even seen him play LB (not 100% sure though). He's a certainty to make the world cup IMO, probably at the expense of Mata or santi.
