Atletico Madrid have suffered a costly injury in the middle of the pitch, after it was confirmed on Tuesday that captain Koke Resurreccion will be out for the best part of the next month. The veteran has suffered a muscle problem in his right leg, after featuring for 80 minutes against Celta Vigo.
The 33-year-old had been growing in importance over the last month, having seen Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo de Paul lock down their spots in the middle of midfield during the season. After a run of five La Liga games without a start over the turn of the year, Koke had gone on a run of six starts in nine games.
🚨🇺🇾 Fede Valverde: “Referees? I’m not the one to judge someone who is doing their job. We are all human and can make mistakes. They get criticized a lot, but they are never praised when they do things well.” pic.twitter.com/hVpGt8XaJW
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 18, 2025
After Barrios was sent off at the weekend, Koke was sent on to solidify their setup against Celta Vigo, but Marca say that he will now be out for three to four weeks. That will keep him out of games against Valencia (A), the Copa del Rey semi-final away to Barcelona, Athletic Club (H) and Getafe (A). While Barrios will be available against Barcelona, it creates something of a hole beside de Paul in the games against Valencia and Athletic Club as he serves a ban for his straight red card.
Koke could then be back for their Liga clash with Barcelona at the Metroplitano before the March international break, but it could be touch and go. It seems likely that Diego Simeone will call on Conor Gallagher to play in the middle of the pitch. El Cholo has generally preferred to use the ex-Chelsea man wider in a midfield four or further forward in general, but he does look like the most natural option in the absence of Barrios and Koke. He could also look to move Marcos Llorente into the middle of the pitch, although he has been using the 30-year-old more often as a right-back this season.
