3 young guns who can fire this season

#3 Rodrigo (Atletico Madrid)

Rodrigo

Diego Simeone brought Rodrigo into the Atletico Madrid fold to replace Gabi. Though Rodrigo has huge boots to fill, he has started on the right note with his performances.

Rodrigo is a product of Atletico’s youth system. Thus, when he returned in the summer, it was treated as a homecoming. In his time away from Madrid, he became an indispensable part of the Villarreal side and racked up more than 40 appearances in the 2017-18 season.

Rodrigo plies his trade as a defensive midfielder and has been dubbed the new ‘Sergio Busquets’. At 1.90m, he is an imposing figure in the center of the park and dominates opponents with his physicality. To supplement this, he boasts of an exquisite passing range. An elegant passer of the ball, he averaged 66 passes last season with an accuracy of around 90%.

He started the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid and was a rock in midfield. He broke up the play astutely and recycled the ball efficiently. If he continues in the same vein, it won’t be long before he is regarded as one of the best in the business.

Despite being 22 years old, he has gained tons of experience in La Liga and looks primed to nail down a starting berth for Atletico. Atletico would hope that he can be their midfield general for years to come.

His acid test would be how he can handle the expectations at his new club. Rodrigo has the potential and the temperament. It is now up to him to cement his status as one of the best defensive midfielders in Spain.