Atletico Madrid veteran Axel Witsel has come out and maintained that he is content at Atletico Madrid, despite his lack of game time.
Witsel signed on a free from Borussia Dortmund last summer, and started off as a regular central defender under Diego Simeone, and has lost his place in the pecking order. In 2023, he has become very much a rotational option for Simeone, making just one start since January. As per Diario AS, his father Thierry Witsel recently declared that his son did not deal well with being benched.
Yet the Belgian footballer has explained to the Madrid daily that while he would rather be playing more, he is content.
“I feel good, I am positive, as always. We are in a good dynamic. Of course I play less now, but I keep working hard every day and I’m ready for when it’s my turn to participate”.
“Losing prominence does not change me going forward. It’s always better when you play, but I’m just as happy as the first day I got here.”
He also spoke to the team’s good form. Atletico Madrid have won their last six games on the bounce, with Witsel highlighting the extra time to prepare a major factor.
“Now we don’t have three games a week, physically it’s easier to face them. From January until now we are in a very good dynamic and we want to end the season like this to see how far we can go.”
There is also a growing narrative that Joao Felix’s departure to Chelsea has been a key factor in Atleti’s improvement. Los Colchoneros have not lost since he left and have been the best in La Liga since then too. It was a narrative that Witsel disputed though.
“The atmosphere inside the locker room was the same in November as it is now. The results have not changed anything. There’s a great group.”
Simeone has also admitted that he is not quite sure why Atletico Madrid are performing so differently in the second half of the season. The extraa preparation time is certainly a factor, and it appears that Antoine Griezmann has settled into a role he is comfortable in, while the likes of Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina and Koke Resurreccion have given increased solidity.
More must-reads: