Atletico Madrid has emerged from nowhere this season as third contenders for the Liga title after initially encountering four draws in their first nine matches. But after ten straight wins, Los Colchoneros look like a force again.
That's partly due to the fact that they have been relatively injury-free of late. On Wednesday, French midfielder Thomas Lemar returned from injury hell to the side for their clash with Slovan Bratislava, meaning Diego Simeone had his entire squad fit and playable – a rarity in modern football. New fitness coach Luis Pinedo is credited by Diario AS with this turnaround, after recent seasons in which muscle injuries have been a major problem for Simeone.
His changes in training methods, rationing of training and minutes and attention to detail are cited as the main causes of this shift. While Real Madrid are dealing with a series of fitness issues and Barcelona are waiting for their stars to return to full fitness, Simeone has competition for places and depth. Pinedo are also credited with modernizing their training methods this season after being promoted from Atletico B, and their extra fitness can be seen in the number of goals scored in the closing stages of matches.
Pinedo replaced long-time fitness coach 'Profe' Ortega this summer, who had a strong reputation since Simeone's early years at the club but has been questioned in recent seasons. Ortega was known for making his players work hard, but it seems a slightly more balanced approach is working for this season Los Rojiblancos.
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