Marca: After Gimenez returns, he will form the most stable defense line with Llorente, Lenormand and Hanzko

Recently, "Marca" talked about the performance of Atletico Madrid center back Jimenez after his return from injury. They said that the player, Llorente, Lenormand and Hanzko formed Atletico Madrid's most stable defense line.

After missing eight rounds of the league due to injury, Jimenez finally returned to the game. He returned directly to Simeone's starting lineup against Osasuna, which also allowed Atletico Madrid's defense to regain stability. Before his return, Simeone tried five different defensive combinations in ten games. Jimenez's return brought a significant improvement to the defense.

The four players Llorente, Lenorment, Jimenez and Hanzko became the basis for Simeone's new defense. The four of them played together for 243 minutes and only conceded one goal - which was scored by Gabriel against Arsenal. In that game, after Jimenez came off the field, Atletico Madrid's defense began to collapse and the team lost control. It now appears that this improvement may be the result of finding a stable defensive line combination.

After ten league rounds, Atletico Madrid has become one of the teams with the second fewest goals conceded in the league. Simeone's side conceded ten goals in total, while Alaves conceded just nine. These ten goals conceded all occurred in the first eight rounds of the league (an average of 1.25 per game). In the last two rounds of the league, due to the existence of the new defense line and Oblak's key performance in these two games, the team helped the team keep Osasuna and Betis clean sheets.

However, in the Champions League, Atletico Madrid encountered more difficulties. A total of seven goals conceded in two trips to England, plus one at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, brings Atletico to a total of eight goals conceded in three games. However, what is gratifying is that in the game at the Emirates Stadium, Llorente, Lenormand, Jimenez and Hanzko successfully resisted the attack of one of the top teams in Europe during the nearly 60 minutes they played together.

Three of these four defensive players have become Simeone's fixed choices almost from the beginning of the season. Llorente and Lenorment have been the main players since the beginning of the season and are the two players with the most playing time on the field. Llorente is Simeone's first choice and has played in every game this season. Lenormand has also begun to find his best form at Atletico Madrid, and both of them are unshakable starters.

The third defensive line member is also indispensable, although he needs to be rotated in different positions. He was originally signed to play at left centre-back but eventually established himself at left-back. Hanczko has started seven games at the position, surpassing Ruggieri and Garland. In fact, his playing time as a left-back has far exceeded that of a central defender, which was his original intention when he joined last summer.

The fourth defensive line player is the key figure who changed the appearance of Atletico Madrid's defense. Although Jimenez only played 243 minutes, he led Atletico Madrid to two clean sheets in three games after his return. Before his return, that position was occupied by Lenglet. The Frenchman played 580 minutes in seven games. His red card suspension resulted in Jimenez being moved into the starting lineup against Osasuna, and it now seems difficult for Lenglet to regain his place in the starting lineup.

Simone has high hopes for Jimenez, and it seems that he has found a suitable defense combination. Atletico are on a nine-game unbeaten run in the league and are starting to show a clear direction. With the combination of Gimenez and Llorente, Lenormand and Hanzko, everything seems to become easier.