26 | PREPARATION

Promotion is secured, but the summer has already brought a rather different challenge. The highs of last season were balanced by periods when the squad felt fragile; I relied heavily on a relatively small group of players who performed consistently, although there were limits to what I could ask of them tactically. Financially, we’re back on an even footing following the cup revenue and the sale of Gabriel Costa, but the squad needs considerable work if we’re going to compete in Liga Portugal 2.

Eleven first-team players departed at the end of their contracts. The minutes graph gives a useful indication of the scale of that change: some departures were peripheral, such as Bura and Nuno Hidalgo, who managed 733 and 540 minutes respectively, but others were much more involved. Pedro Ramos played 2,113 minutes, while Nicolas Souza, Edgar Pacheco and Rafael Tavares all contributed more than 900. These aren’t simply names being removed from a squad list; there are roles, relationships and experience that need replacing.

The remaining group is relatively small, and there is another problem beyond the playing staff. Twenty-five members of staff have also left, leaving us without a scouting department. At present, only seven players in our wider recruitment pool have extensive knowledge and are interesting in joining. The initial search has produced 56 filtered players, but the information available to us is limited. Rebuilding the recruitment structure will be just as important as finding the players themselves.

Our first three additions came through exit trials: Rodrigo Pires and António Ferreira, both with Benfica connections, and Rafael Camacho, formerly of Sporting. All three have links to Lisbon’s established footballing environment, which is a useful starting point for a club trying to establish itself in the second tier. Pires is a 21-year-old defensive midfielder with a good technical foundation; Ferreira, at 18, offers an interesting creative profile, with passing, technique and first touch among his stronger attributes. Camacho is a 20-year-old midfielder who can operate in deeper or more advanced central roles, and his ability to play one-twos should suit the combinations we’re trying to develop.

I then went in to try and sort the defence and, in fairness to them, the newly build recruitment team did pretty well. Renato arrived after an approach from his agent. A product of the Corinthians academy, the 22-year-old Brazilian was looking for an opportunity in Europe. We already had some knowledge of him, but there was still an element of risk. We secured him on a free transfer, with a substantial reduction in his wage demands making the move possible. He isn’t quite as quick as I initially wanted, but he’s technically secure, strong in the air and has the physical foundations to become an important centre-back. Rúben Semedo brings a different kind of experience. A Sporting academy graduate, he has played across Europe and has more than €20 million in previous transfer fees behind him. At 33, he isn’t a long-term project, but he gives us experience and defensive presence. He’s right-footed, as are several of our other central defenders, and prefers the right or centre; nevertheless, I intend to use him on the left of the back three. Gonçalo Loureiro was a signing I wanted earlier in the window, although his arrival has created a few complications. He’s a capable ball-playing centre-back and should give us another route out of defence, but he’s also right-footed and listed as an Important Player. Four of our five senior central defenders now share that expectation, so managing minutes and keeping everyone involved will require care. Even so, strengthening this area feels essential if we’re preparing for a difficult season.

Leonardo is perhaps the biggest gamble. Another agent recommendation, the 22-year-old Brazilian arrives with relatively little to go on beyond his time at São Bernardo. He’s currently a wide player, but I like the profile as a forward: he can control the ball, carry it and finish. Strength is a serious weakness, and there will be work involved in teaching him to find channels, attack the half-spaces and threaten balls played over the top. If that development goes well, he could offer something different.

There is plenty still to do. We’ve started rebuilding the defensive unit and added some interesting technical options, but the recruitment department itself needs rebuilding, and the squad cannot be considered complete. The priority is to improve the level without losing the cohesion that earned promotion. This summer is about making Atlético more resilient, not simply making it bigger.

27 | DEVELOPING A MOBILE DESTROYER

César Sousa spent last season operating as a Box-to-Box Midfielder, and while his performances were encouraging, I increasingly felt that the role left us vulnerable defensively. Our build-up could become a 3-1-5-1, with Sousa advancing alongside the attacking midfielders and leaving too much responsibility on the remaining defensive midfielder.

I’ve decided to experiment with a different approach. Sousa has been moved back into the Defensive Midfielder role, but I’ve taught him the trait Gets Forward Whenever Possible. There is an interesting conflict here: the DM role locks the forward-runs instruction to Make Fewer Runs, while his learned trait encourages precisely the opposite behaviour. I want to see which takes precedence, or whether the game context allows the two to coexist. Ideally, Sousa will advance when the opportunity presents itself – based on his tactical understanding, but retain his position when the team needs defensive security. Perhaps something approaching a 50/50 balance, rather than the predictable movement of a conventional Box-to-Box Midfielder.

His partnership is important, too. He will operate alongside a more creative, less mobile defensive midfielder, so I don’t need Sousa to dictate possession. His physical qualities, work rate and defensive attributes should allow him to provide the mobility and disruption, while his partner assumes more responsibility for progressing the ball. His Decisions attribute of eight is a concern, but his Anticipation, Positioning and Teamwork offer some encouragement. I’m hoping to rely on his wider understanding of the game, while recognising that his judgement won’t always be perfect.

For now, I’m deliberately leaving the experiment alone. I want to observe the relationship between role and trait before introducing anything else. The aim is a mobile destroyer, not another playmaker.